In Orange County, California, a judge has ordered the Costa Mesa driver accused of fatally striking a Newport Beach pedestrian last year while text messaging on his cell phone to stand trial for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. If convicted, Martin Burt Kuehl faces a maximum 9-year prison sentences.
Kuehl's criminal defense attorney argued that there is no evidence, including cell phone records, to indicate that the 42-year-old driver was texting when he hit Nanny Martha Ovalle on Westcliff Drive last August. The lawyer had sought to have the charge reduced to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter with ordinary negligence.
According to the newspaper the Daily Pilot, however, Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez says that the cell phone records indicate that Kuehl was texting for approximately 30 minutes before the Newport Beach pedestrian accident. One witness has also said that the motorist in the vehicle behind Kuehl had to strike the horn so the Costa Mesa resident would notice that the traffic light was green.
The latest developments in this Orange County, California pedestrian accident case came right before the US Department of Transportation's Distracted Driving Summit, which began today.
The dangers of texting while driving will be the center of focus, as lawmakers, law enforcement officials, and safety experts discuss the consequences of multitasking while driving. At today's kickoff, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood unveiled the latest figures from 2008: Almost 6,000 people in the US died in distracted driving accidents, while over 500,000 people sustained injuries. Each day last year, there were almost 800,000 people motorists using a hand-held cell phone while driving.
Teen drivers are the worst offenders, but adult motorists are not exempt from getting on the phone, texting on a Blackberry, listening to an iPod, playing a video game, or fiddling with a GPS system while driving.
Our Costa Mesa injury lawyers are aware of the hazards that come from distracted driving and the Orange County, California personal injuries and wrongful deaths that can result.
Orange County motorist accused of texting while driving faces trial for killing pedestrian, Los Angeles Times, September 29, 2009
Accused texter faces 9 years, Daily Pilot, September 28, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Drowsy and Distracted Driving, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Contact our Newport Beach car accident law firm today.
