North Carolina teen may have been texting before dump truck crash

Despite frequent reminders to drive safely, many teenagers believe that a car accident could never happen to them. Among the more foolish things that many teen drivers engage in more frequently than other motorists is driving and texting.

Police are investigating whether a North Carolina high schooler recently caused an auto accident with a dump truck by driving while distracted by his cellphone. Though it is not yet known that he was texting and driving, police have not yet ruled it out.

He was on his way to picking up his girlfriend so they could go to school. He appears to have been in a hurry. The final text message sent from the phone before the crash was to the girlfriend, telling her he was on his way.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol says that soon after that, the driver, 16, failed to yield to a dump truck while attempting to cross an intersection. The truck crashed into his car.

Fortunately, the teen’s injuries do no appear to be life-threatening, and he is recovering.

If indeed he was texting or otherwise using his phone while driving, it is also fortunate that he was the only one injured. Distracted driving is a menace to everyone else on the road, including responsible drivers who know that emails, texts, social media and phone calls can wait until they are at their destination. They can cause serious collisions that may leave victims laid up for a long while as they recover, unable to work or care for themselves.

Source: WBTV-TV, “Troopers: Teen may have been texting before crash with dump truck,” Ashton Pellom, Sep. 11, 2013