Texting and Driving Leads to Manslaughter Charges in Anchorage
Texting and driving led to manslaughter charges against an Anchorage teenager after he killed a young mother of two.
The Incident
Dallas law firm, Frenkel & Frenkel, understands the dangers of texting and driving, but a teenager in Anchorage, Alaska, did not heed the warnings of those dangers. Murphy Madison Gross, who is only 16, was charged with manslaughter by a Grand Jury on June 3, 2013 after Catherine Cope, the 27-year old mother of two, was killed on February 6. Texting and Driving Accident.
According to police, Gross ran a red light while texting and driving and struck Cope’s Jeep Grand Cherokee. Cope’s husband, Ryan, and two of his co-workers were also in the vehicle. Although Gross denied sending text messages at the time of the crash, claiming he simply took his eyes off the road, phone records show that he sent and received 14 texts and four calls in the 32 minutes just before the collision, with the final text approximately one minute before the crash. Gross was driving his parent’s Chevrolet Tahoe without permission and tested positive for marijuana.
Texting and Driving Statistics
According to a study published by Pediatrics, nearly half the high school students surveyed admitted to texting or emailing while driving. Texting and driving in Alaska has been illegal since 2012, yet this is the first case in the state of felony charges due to texting and driving. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) say that 40 percent of teens admit that they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in an unsafe manner, and that the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that text messaging increased crash risk by 23 percent.
Protecting Your Family
In an article on their website, Dallas law firm, Frenkel & Frenkel, recommends giving teens and young drivers explicit instructions not to use cell phones while driving and reminds parents to lead by example. Clear rules and consequences for texting and driving can protect your family and prevent tragedies caused by distracted driving. Encouraging safe driving habits is crucial to reducing texting and driving incidents.
Legal Assistance
Frenkel & Frenkel are experienced car accident attorneys in Dallas. If you or a family member has been injured due to another driver’s negligence, their team can provide guidance and support.