Blog Category Distracted Driver

The pros and cons of Apple’s new CarKey feature

In the early 2000s, luxury car makers began producing automobiles that were missing something – a key.

Like many features that first appeared in luxury autos, the dash-mounted push-button start has now filtered down to more affordable models. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only 5,000 cars had keyless starts in 20021; Ward’s Auto reported that by 2013 that number had jumped to 4.4 million, and that … Read more

A teen has been indicted by a jury on charges of driving while impaired and felony death on Tuesday.

According to court documents, David Engelmann, 18, of Hickory, was driving a Subaru Forester in August when he ran his vehicle off the road. Engleman overcorrected and flipped the small SUV.

Killed in the accident was Engleman’s high school classmate, Jay Brian Robertson II, 17, who was ejected from the vehicle’s open sunroof. Robertson died as a result of the … Read more

Distracted driving, or texting while behind the wheel, is exceedingly dangerous.  It only takes a few seconds of inattention for an accident can occur.That is exactly what happened when Jessica Sowell was arrested. She is currently facing the charges of misdemeanor death by vehicle, texting while driving, trafficking heroin as well as other related charges.

Investigators say that Sowell’s Nissan Altima crossed the center lane on Mount Holly Road and hit Casey Townsend’s GMC Yukon in a head-on collision just … Read more

A woman is now facing the charge of DUI manslaughter after driving under the influence while sending text messages to her boyfriend.

According to investigators, Mila Dago, aged 22 at the time of the crash on August 14, 2013, was behind the wheel of a rented Smart Car when she ran a red light at around 4:45 a.m., crashing into a truck driven by Benjamin Byrum, 51.

A passenger in Dago’s car, Irena Reinoso was killed in the crash.

Last … Read more

One of the most well-known auto clubs in the nation, AAA, released a report last week recommending new laws that ban the use of cell phones and other mobile devices by teenage drivers. This is not the same old ban on texting and driving, this is the prohibition of any use of a mobile device by a teenage driver. But why?

Previous estimates had teenage distracted driving as the cause of vehicle collisions in about 14% of incidents. The startling … Read more

Texting and driving do not mix under any circumstances.  Put prescription medication on top of that, and you have a recipe for car accidents and fatalities.  Belinda Hudspeth learned that the hard way, as she is now facing charges for allegedly hitting and killing Lavon Ramsey.

Hudspeth regrets her decision to text and drive.  She’s already faced two DWI convictions and one for drug trafficking.  She was sentenced to probation in those cases, but now she’s realizing the depth … Read more

A back-over incident takes place when a car is backing out of a driveway or parking space. It is a common and mostly preventable mishap, but thousands of children every year are killed or seriously injured because a driver backing up didn’t see them. Just like what happened to a 14-month toddler in Lee County.

According to S.C. Highway Patrol, little Jaylen was hit by a 1996 BMW driven by a 17-year-old female relative. This is more common than you … Read more

They were heading out from their military base on their way to do their duty at the funeral of a WW2 veteran and former Army officer. However, several members of the Ft Bragg Honor Guard did not expect to encounter their own tragedy in the form of a logging truck coming down US 15-501 near Charlotte.

According to reports, serviceman Richard Horton, 22 was intent on his driving his van. The van had poor visibility from some angles, and Horton … Read more

When a crash happens involving a tractor trailer, one of the things that officers look for is to see what cargo the truck was hauling. If it was hauling something dangerous, like fireworks or gasoline, hazmat crews may need to get involved so that the mess can get cleaned up. When hazardous chemicals get into the environment, the results can damage property and the health of people around them. This can open up haulers to lawsuits.

A relatively minor case … Read more

Accidents can happen even on the best of days. They can seem senseless, leaving people with questions. How will they move on? How can they pay for the damage? Sometimes the damage is irreparable.

On what should have been a very happy day, two families now face a funeral just hours after a wedding in Georgia.  As reported in WSOC, a witness was driving when he saw the groom stumbling on the side of the road. He was covered in … Read more