On January 26th, an Orange County man was found guilty of manslaughter with gross negligence for killing a pedestrian in August 2008 because he was texting while driving.

It was reported that the 42 year old driver was focusing on his cell phone the morning of the incident and failed to slow down or stop as he drew near a crosswalk.  Records from his mobile carrier show he sent four text messages and received three minutes before the accident occurred.  He unfortunately ran over a 32 year old woman who was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident due to fatal injuries to her head, torso, and extremities.  The driver admitted to the Newport Beach Police that he never saw the woman crossing the street.   He will receive his sentence on Friday, March 12, but he faces a maximum sentence of 9 years in a state prison.

15 months after the incident, the state for California banned texting while driving.  Drivers are facing fines between 20$ and 50$ plus local jurisdictions’ penalties, assessments and court costs.

It seems like a small price for a person’s life.

Source:  The Daily Pilot, January 27, 2010

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