A terrible northern Utah accident in 2006 occurred when 19-year-old Reggie Shaw was sending and receiving texts while driving to work. Because he was distracted, his car veered over the yellow line, clipped an oncoming car, and sent it spinning into the path of another vehicle. The resulting impact immediately killed two men who were commuting to work. It was because of this accident and the investigation that followed, that the Utah State Legislature ultimately wrote one of the strictest laws in the country against electronic communications being sent or received by people who are driving. To his credit, after completing his court-ordered sentence, Mr. Shaw began actively educating as many people as possible about the dangers of texting and driving. More recently, just this month Aaron Deveau of Haverhill, Massachusetts was the first person in that state to be convicted of causing a traffic death while texting. Deveau was sentenced to a year in jail and his driver’s license has been revoked for 15 years. To read about this, go here. At McMullin Injury Law we inform all drivers that under Utah law, the penalties for texting and driving are severe and punishable by fines, suspension of license, and possible incarceration of varying lengths of time depending on the details of the accident. The specific Utah code prohibits using a handheld wireless communication device for text messaging communication while operating a moving motor vehicle. At our law firm, we represent people who have been hurt in accidents caused because of the negligence of another person or party. We remind you to refrain from texting while you’re driving and that you share this message with your friends and family members—especially your children who drive. Texting while driving in Utah is against the law. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident that was caused because someone else was texting while driving, contact our office. We will meet with you free of charge to tell you if you have a case.
