Personal Injury Law

Hit-and-Run Driver in Lawrence Car Accident that Injured Toddler Was Scrolling Through Cell Phone

By Altman & Altman

Elia Adames, the Methuen motorist who failed to stop after her vehicle struck 2-year-old Jordan Pena on Tuesday, says she was scrolling through her cell phone when the Lawrence, Massachusetts pedestrian accident happened.

The collision tossed the toddler, who ran into the street while playing in the driveway, some 15-20 feet into a fire hydrant. He was flown to Children?s Hospital in Boston and was admitted in critical condition to the ICU.

Pena has head injuries. A hospital spokesperson said on Wednesday that his condition was upgraded to serious.

According to witnesses, Adames?s car was speeding when she struck the boy. Police found the 21-year-old driver after a witness managed to take down her license plate number. When they asked Adames if she knew that she?d struck the little boy, she started crying and said she?d heard a thumping sound while trying to find a number on her cell phone. Adames is charged with living the scene of a Massachusetts personal injury accident.

Distracted Driving
According to Nationwide Insurance?s yearly ?Driving while Distracted? survey, 30% of the drivers surveyed who admitted to talking on the cell phone while driving now do this less often than they did last year. 4 out of every 10 drivers who text and drive also say they?re engaging in distracted driving less often in 2010. According to the insurance company, studies show that distracted driving is now the cause of one of every four US traffic crashes.

Cell Phone Use While Driving
Cell phone driving can prevent a motorist from paying full attention to the road conditions and ongoing traffic. This distracted driving habit reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving and a motorist?s reaction time can become delayed as if he/she were drunk. Most cell phone users never intend to injure or kill anyone while driving, but unfortunately, such catastrophic outcomes can result.

Lawrence Hit-&-Run Suspect May Have Been On Phone, WBZ, May 26, 2010

Survey: People talking, texting less while driving, Chicago Breaking News, May 27, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving, NHTSA

Distracted Driving, National Safety Council

Full post as published by Boston Injury Lawyer Blog on May 28, 2010 (boomark / email).