What are the Dangers of Walking While Texting?

Texting is one of the most popular forms of communication in America. However, the ease and convenience of texting unfortunately encourages some individuals to engage in unsafe practices. Although it may sound farfetched, texting while walking can be almost as dangerous as texting while driving, and those who text while walking run the risk of injuries to themselves or others, potentially leading to civil claims for damages.

Ultimately, it is always best to avoid texting while walking in any city. If you must respond to a text immediately, move to the side of the path to allow others to pass and stop to read and reply to the message. If another person causes an injury to you or a loved one due to texting while walking, reach out to a Las Vegas personal injury attorney to discuss your options for legal recourse.

Increasing Public Awareness

Many viral videos over recent years have showcased individuals getting into embarrassing and even harmful situations due to inattention while texting and walking. People have walked into telephone poles, bus stops, street signs, and even fallen down stairs, onto subway tracks, and through open manholes because they were not paying attention to where they were walking. While some people may find these videos humorous, the reality is that texting while walking is a dangerous trend that needs to stop.

Some states have enacted laws banning the use of cell phones within crosswalks, but this only potentially limits some of the danger of texting while walking. Texting while walking can lead to serious injuries in many ways.

• A person texting while walking could suffer a slip and fall injury from walking into a hazard he or she could have otherwise avoided.
• A person texting while walking could bump into someone else and cause him or her to suffer injuries from falling.
• It is possible for a person texting while walking to walk into traffic without realizing it until it is too late.
• A person texting while walking could cause injuries to small children or pets nearby by walking into them.
• Texting while walking can be potentially fatal if the person falls down a flight of stairs, through an open manhole, or into a crosswalk in front of oncoming traffic.

It is also important to remember that a person who suffers an injury due to texting while walking will likely not have any legal grounds for recovery since the injury occurred due to his or her own negligence.

Texting While Walking in Las Vegas

The Las Vegas strip is busy 24 hours a day almost every day of the year. During the day, tourists and families visit the various sights and attractions on the strip and the nights are full of revelers and partygoers who are generally out on the town through all hours of the night. As a popular tourist destination, the Las Vegas strip can be a prime hunting ground for pickpockets who could easily steal a wallet or other valuables from an unwary pedestrian engrossed in his or her cell phone.

The sheer number of pedestrians on the Las Vegas strip also makes texting while walking dangerous. Pedestrians paying attention to their cell phones instead of their walking route not only slow down foot traffic but are also more likely to cause accidents with other pedestrians or walk directly into traffic without paying attention.

When pedestrian accidents happen, the majority of people would naturally assume the driver is automatically at fault, even if the pedestrian crossed the street illegally. However, this is only partially true. While drivers do indeed have a higher duty of care on the road than pedestrians, a pedestrian who walks into traffic due to inattention will likely absorb some amount of liability for the incident. Under Nevada’s comparative negligence law, a plaintiff who was 51% or more at fault for such an incident would not be able to recover any damages.