Florida personal injury attorney Philip DeBerard, III, today voiced his support for a federal agency’s call to ban use of cell phones by truckers and all other commercial drivers while behind the wheel.
“The evidence proving the danger of cell phone use by long-distance tractor-trailer drivers is in, and it is indisputable,” said DeBerard, who along with Anthony K. Goodman, serves South Florida’s Treasure Coast as the personal injury law firm of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, from offices in Stuart and Okeechobee.
“Prohibiting nonemergency cell phone use by truck drivers and bus drivers while their vehicles are in motion is a practical, responsible move for the safety of Floridians and all Americans who use this country’s highways,” DeBerard said.
According to a report in the New York Times, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended banning the use of mobile phones by commercial drivers except in emergencies after investigators blamed the crash of a transfer-truck in Kentucky that killed 11 people last March on the truck driver’s cell phone use.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is considering a ban on using hand-held cell phones while operating 18-wheelers or buses for hire, the newspaper reported.
“Distracted driving is dangerous, and it is exponentially more dangerous when the distracted driver takes his eyes off the road while he is at the wheel of a 40-ton tractor-trailer hurtling down the highway at 70-plus miles an hour,” DeBerard said. “The DOT ban on hand-held devices does not go far enough. We support the NTSB’s call for a total ban.”
DeBerard said his firm is committed to seeing that individuals injured in trucking accidents caused by negligent and reckless drivers, such as truck drivers who distract themselves, get the compensation they deserve for their pain and suffering.
“We are ready to do whatever is necessary to see to it that the victims of this kind of negligence are made whole financially, at least, for the losses they will have to endure because of another’s recklessness,” DeBerard said.
“We work hard to make sure insurance companies don’t get away with making low-ball settlements, and we will bring personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits where appropriate and necessary against drivers, their employers or anyone else who contributes to this activity.”
Florida is one of the few states in the U.S. that has no distracted driving laws. In the most recent legislative session, the state’s lawmakers rejected or shelved bills that would have restricted drivers’ use of cell phones and text-messaging devices.
About Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney
The Florida personal injury law firm of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, has provided professional and compassionate legal assistance to personal injury and accident victims in South Florida on the Treasure Coast since 1975. The firm’s practice areas include car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, product liability, dog bite injuries, swimming pool accidents, slip-and-fall injuries, medical malpractice, and wrongful death claims.
The firm represents clients throughout the South Florida communities of Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Jupiter, Stuart, Okeechobee, Vero Beach, Palm Beach, and across the state of Florida. For more information, call (800) 299-8878 or use the firm’s online contact form.
