Practice Areas
- Personal Injury
- Automobile Accidents
- Wrongful Death
- Product Liability
- Medical Malpractice
- Premises Liability
- Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
- Industrial Accidents and Worker’s Compensation
Van Dorn Blog 
Automobile Accidents
- Appeals Court Upholds $16 Million Bad Faith Claim Against Allstate
- Insurance Institute Conducts Pickup Truck Safety Tests
- New Hampshire Man Dies In Motorcycle Accident
- Vermont Makes Roads Safer
- Laconia Motorcycle Week
- New Hampshire Motorcycle Safety Awareness Campaign
- True Story
Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
Medical Malpractice
Personal Injury
- Senate Passes Safety Bill for Toys
- Research Your Potential Personal Injury Attorney
- I Call Insurance Company Rules!
- HR 6126: The Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act
- Three Injured in Separate ATV Accidents
- Insurance Companies and Personal Injury Lawyers
- Unethical Lawyers
- "...an informed client is our best client."
- New Hampshire Personal Injury Law
- Beware of Settlement Mills
Attorney Fees
General
Samples Cases
Automobile Accidents
$875,000 recovered for man injured in automobile/bicycle accident
$750,000 recovered for rear-end auto accident resulting in back surgery
Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
Industrial Accidents and Worker’s Compensation
$1,400,000 recovered for victim of industrial accident
Other
$600,000 recovered for man injured in logging accident
$1,600,000 Settlement for Civil Rights Case
Legal News
Little progress in bridge repairs across US...
Two Window Washers Die in Accident at NYC Building...
Appeals Court Upholds $16 Million Verdict Against Allstate...
Insurance tests raise questions about some pickups...
Allstate Ranks as Worst Insurer for Consumers...
Drew Griffin Tonight - "Keeping them Honest."...
Manchester New Hampshire man dies in motorcycle accident...
Teen fleeing Rottweiler fractures skull...
2008 Presidential Candidates Respond to Ten Questions About Their Health Care Reform Proposals...
Cell Phone Use and Car Accidents
As personal injury lawyers, we know most car accidents occur when one driver is not paying attention. Distraction may cause a driver to underestimate the road conditions or not focus on how they are driving. We have seen cases where a distracted driver slammed directly into the rear of a parked car. There has been a lot of controversy lately regarding cell phone use and driver safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations (NHTSA) estimates that upwards of 85 percent of all cell phone users use their cell phones while operating their vehicles. In 2001, New York was the first state to completely ban cell phone use while driving. Since then, some states have followed suit, recognizing the risk cell phone use while driving has for every citizen. Opponents of these laws argue that there is no reliable data that indicates cell phone use increases the risk of car accidents. People who favor such laws argue cell phones distract drivers. Recent studies have shed some light on the whether cell phone usage does increase the risk of being involved in a car accident.
A recent Harvard study found that one out of every 20 accidents in the United States involves a driver who was talking on their cell phone. According to this study, roughly 2,600 people die in car accidents yearly because of the use of cell phones while driving. Additionally, this study estimates show that 330,000 people are injured in car accidents yearly due to cell phone use.
It seems logical that fumbling around your car to grab you cell phone, or dialing or texting on your cell phone while driving can be a distraction. Thus, some have argued voice activated or hands free cellular devices are the answer. Another study conducted by Carnegie Mellon found that simply listening to cell phones can have an impact on a driver’s ability to focus on the road. This contradicts the argument that hands free cellular devices are safer to use while driving. The study specifically found that driving while listening to a cell phone conversation resulted in a 37 percent decrease in function in the part of the brain that is thought to be related to driving.
If you live in Vermont or New Hampshire and you have been injured in a car accident because the driver was distracted by their cell phone, it may be advisable to contract an experienced personal
Free Consultation
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Van Dorn & Curtiss
633 Main Street
Route 10
P.O. Box 263
Orford, NH 03777-0263
Phone: (866) 632-8980
FAQs
Personal Injury
- Am I eligible for a personal injury lawsuit?
- How do the attorneys determine how much my personal injury claim may be worth?
- When I meet with a personal injury attorney for my first consultation, what information should I provide?
Automobile Accidents
- I was in an automobile accident and the payout offered by the insurance company seems low. What should I do?
- I was injured in a car accident and it was the other driver's fault. They didn't have insurance...what can I do?
- I was injured in a car accident and my car sustained very little visual damage. The other driver was at fault and their insurance company is denying my claim. They say because there was so little damage to the car, I am lying about my injury...what can I do?
Wrongful Death
- I recently lost a loved one in an accident. What are my rights?
- How do I bring a wrongful death claim?
- What is a survival action?
Medical Malpractice
- Is it true that legislators are attempting to limit medical malpractice recovery in New Hampshire?
- What are some specific types of medical malpractice?
- My spouse recently died while being treated at a hospital. I think the hospital did something wrong, but the hospital won't release the medical records...what can I do?
Premises Liability
- Are hotels responsible for criminal acts that take place on their property?
- What is premises liability?
- I was injured on someone else's property...now what?
Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
- My child was bitten by a neighbor's dog and the neighbor refuses to pay the medical bills. What should I do?
- How many people are bitten by dogs each year?
- What is the one-bite rule?