AT&T has just released a survey of just over a thousand adults as part of a campaign against texting while driving. The survey was carried out with David Greenfield who is a professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Connecticut and the founding member of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction.

The survey coincides with the wider provision of an app from AT&T, which automatically turns off text message alerts when the vehicle is moving at more than 15 mph and sends a message to the person who is trying to contact the driver saying that they are busy and cannot text back.

According to Greenfield, drivers feel compelled to check their phone when it bleeps as we all experience an increase in a chemical in the brain which makes us feel happy when we get a text message or email.

However, even though 98 percent of those surveyed said that they knew texting while driving is dangerous, 75 percent of them said they still did it. Two thirds of them said they read messages while stopped at a stop sign or red light and more than 25 percent said they actually send texts while driving.

If you have been injured in a serious automobile accident involving distracted driver,  you may be entitled to monetary compensation. For an immediate and cost-free case evaluation and consultation please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help.

Ford Motor Company has announced that Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX models from 2007 and 2008 have possibly got corroded fuel tank reinforcement brackets which could lead to a fuel leak or a possible fire.

They have therefore decided to recall more than 200,000 of the vehicles sold across 22 states including Connecticut.

The problem is the potential corrosion under the reinforcement brackets which attach the fuel tank to the chassis which could result in gas leaking out of the tank which is an obvious fire hazard. Owners may have become aware of the problem either from smelling gasoline or a “check engine” light flashing.

So far there have been no accidents or injuries reported due to the problem but there has been one fire that is known of.

Owners of those vehicles affected are asked to go to their local Ford dealership to have their vehicles checked where the fuel tank will be replaced or repaired at no charge.

If you have been injured in a serious automobile accident involving a recalled vehicle,  you may be entitled to monetary compensation. For an immediate and cost-free case evaluation and consultation please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help.

Police believe that a man who was convicted of being part of a group which committed a double murder in 1978 was also involved in driving a car into an Ansonia building last week. The accident sent all of the car’s passengers to the hospital, one with serious injuries.

According to police, Stanley J. Chenkus, a Waterbury resident, was the driver of the 2002 Buick LeSabre which went off the road at the Route 8 exit ramp at Division Street in the mid-morning hours on May 20. The car collided with a parked car, knocked over a telephone pole, and finally crashed into a Westfield Ave doctor’s office. No one in the office was reported to have been injured in the accident.

Police say that the incident is still under investigation but that no one has been arrested in connection with the crashed as of yet. The victims, a 28 year-old male, a 51 year-old female, and a 47 year-old female, were all taken to area hospitals as a result of the accident. Published reports indicate that all the victims were released from the hospital by Friday, May 23, with the exception of the 28 year old male, who remained hospitalized for the treatment of serious arm and leg injuries.

If you or someone you know have an injured in a serious accident in Waterbury, call the Law Offices of Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP –  89 Oak Street Hartford, CT 06106-1515 –  (888) 244-5480