Should person who sends driver a text be blamed for a crash?

Mobile devices

We adore our mobile devices. But a New Jersey court case underscores the dangers of texting and driving. (Bloomberg News / May 24, 2012)

We all know we're not supposed to text and drive. But what about texting with someone else when that person is texting and driving?

A tragic case being heard in a New Jersey courtroom on Friday is testing the limits of such responsibility in a potentially precedent-setting case. It's also serving as a cautionary tale about the sometimes irresistible lure of our mobile devices.

Here's what happened, according to local coverage of the high-profile case in the New Jersey Star-Ledger and the Daily Record:

David and Linda Kubert were out on theirHarley-Davidsonon Sept. 21, 2009, enjoying a winding Morris County road. That's when they saw, Kyle Best, 19, driving a pickup truck headed in their direction. In the final seconds before impact, the couple could see he had his elbows -- not his hands -- on the steering wheel, and his face was peering down.

Authorities would later determine that Best was using his cellphone to text with his girlfriend, Shannon Colonna. Best pleaded guilty earlier this year to three traffic citations and was ordered to pay $775 and speak at 14 schools about the dangers of texting and driving. His driver's license was not suspended.

That's a slap on the wrist, as far as the Kuberts are concerned.

The Kuberts, both 56, each lost their left legs in the crash. They have endured multiple surgeries and medical costs. They have also become crusaders working with state legislators to beef up punishment for drivers who text from behind the wheel.

But it's their legal action that is raising eyebrows: They are suing both Best and Colonna. The attorney for the Kuberts, Stephen Weinstein, says that Colonna -- who was also 19 at the time -- aided and abetted Best’s negligence by texting him when she knew or should have known he was driving.

No surprise, but Colonna’s lawyer, Joseph McGlone, disagrees. "It’s not fair. It’s not reasonable. Shannon Colonna has no way to control when Kyle Best is going to read that message," McGlone told the Daily Record.

McGlone has asked Morris County Superior Court Judge David Rand to dismiss Colonna from the case. Rand has indicated he will issue his decision on Friday in the case with implications far beyond his courtroom.

Join Rene Lynch on Google+, Facebook or Twitter. Email: rene.lynch@latimes.com

Views: 63

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

Comment by Nikki on May 24, 2012 at 7:45pm

I really feel sorry for the Kuberts but it's all Best's fault.  He did not have to answer her texts while he was driving.

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Gordon Freeman commented on honeygirl's video
Thumbnail

Trump FULLY SURRENDERS to Iran giving them HORMUZ FOREVER!!!

"Iranians were controlling that strait from more than 2000 years so, i don't see how can U.S.…"
3 hours ago
Gordon Freeman commented on Sandy's photo
Thumbnail

FB_IMG_1774426812008

"that's by design, why wonder?"
4 hours ago
Gordon Freeman commented on cheeki kea's blog post The Decades of Evidence SSRI Antidepressants Cause Mass Shootings
"About that...FDA is known to be covering all kind of stories for big pharma... including all you…"
6 hours ago
Gordon Freeman commented on cheeki kea's blog post The Decades of Evidence SSRI Antidepressants Cause Mass Shootings
"Medicines are made for different types of budgets and different types of diseases, doesn't…"
6 hours ago
Gordon Freeman posted a blog post

Stupidity...

So, these days patients don't read the prospect of a medicine before using it?See More
6 hours ago
Gordon Freeman favorited Doc Vega's blog post Why Was The TV Show “The Outer Limits” Such a Threat?
9 hours ago
Gordon Freeman updated their profile
9 hours ago
tjdavis posted a photo
16 hours ago
honeygirl posted a video

This Isn’t a Theory Anymore — The Thiel/Epstein Power Network Is Being Built Now | Whitney Webb

What if the system people keep warning about isn’t some future plan?What if it’s already here — being built in plain sight through defense contracts, digital...
20 hours ago
Doc Vega posted blog posts
21 hours ago
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Saturday
Sandy posted a video

Dan Bilzerian believes Palestinians are real Semites and he explained why

#danbilzerian #shorts #israel #palestine #gaza #british #piersmorgan #politics #uk
Saturday
Doc Vega commented on honeygirl's video
Saturday
honeygirl posted videos
Friday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Where I've Been

Your mouth is moving but your eyes can’t lieLong ago you were compromisedRelying heavily on your…See More
Friday
Doc Vega's 2 blog posts were featured
Thursday
Less Prone commented on Sandy's photo
Thumbnail

FB_IMG_1775463256193

"Then they had the same old photo edited. Very stupid!"
Thursday
Less Prone favorited Sandy's photo
Thursday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Escape

The dreamland comes as I close my eyesTake me from the forbidden lands that I despiseWhere all…See More
Wednesday
cheeki kea commented on Sandy's photo
Thumbnail

FB_IMG_1775463256193

"ahh yes but one must be well  practised in the art of double think for such occasions as these…"
Apr 15

© 2026   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted