A 34-year-old woman from Sarasota reportedly caused an auto accident on State Road 758 after she dropped her cigarette in her car and attempted to pick it up.
The crash occurred around 8:20 a.m. on April 18. The woman was traveling east on SR 758 just east of Crestridge Drive in Sarasota when she tried to pick up her dropped cigarette, according to information released from the Florida Highway Patrol. She apparently took her eyes off the road for too long, as she lost control of her vehicle, veering left and flipping over her car. She was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where she was listed as being in serious condition. Fortunately, no one else was hurt in the accident.
Distracted driving is one of the most common causes of car crashes in Florida and across the United States. Although most people tend to associate distracted driving with talking on the phone or texting, as those are certainly the most common and deadly forms of distracted driving, there are plenty of other actions that drivers engage in regularly that can take their eyes off the road. Such actions include smoking, picking up dropped objects, programming GPS devices and navigational systems, adjusting volume on a sound system, eating and putting on makeup.
Many drivers perform these actions behind the wheel without a second thought, but the truth is that every second you allow yourself to lose focus on what’s happening on the road exponentially increases the likelihood of an accident happening. Drivers are encouraged to always pay close attention so that they can react to any sudden hazards or changes in traffic patterns.
To file a personal injury claim after you have been in an accident resulting from the actions of a distracted driver, work with the knowledgeable Sarasota County injury attorneys at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez, Murphy & Walsh.