Source: https://timraynelaw.com/texting-trouble-beginning-new-legal-liability/
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 09:45:30+00:00

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People acting together in a Criminal Conspiracy can be held equally culpable regardless of who drives the getaway car and who pulls the trigger killing the bank security guard. The same can be true in a joint act resulting in Personal Injury. Both actors can be held liable.
In a recent Pennsylvania Texting and Driving injury case Gallatin v. Gargiulo, a judge has decided to allow a novel theory to be litigated, the issue of whether a person can be held liable for knowingly texting with someone who was driving and then caused an accident.
Laura Gargiulo was driving a car behind a motorcylce being driven by Daniel Gallatin. Gargiulo was allegedly texting with her boyfriend, Timothy Fend, and was either reading or writing a text when she failed to notice that Gallatin was slowing his motorcycle to make a right hand turn. Gargiulo crashed into the rear of Gallatin’s motorcycle and dragged him for over 100 feet resulting in his death.
Gallatin’s family filed a Wrongful Death case against Gargiulo for causing the collision and Gallatin’s death. The family also joined Fend in the lawsuit claiming that he was texting with Gargiulo when he knew she was driving and that his act of distracting Gargiulo with texts was the the cause of the collision.
Fend’s lawyers filed Preliminary Objections to the Wrongful Death Lawsuit, claiming that the suit against Fend should be dismissed because there was no viable theory of negligence against him.
The Judge disagreed and issued an Opinion in Gallatin v. Gargiulo in support of his precedent setting decision to allow a civil lawsuit to proceed against a non-driving texter.
3- gives substantial assistance to the other in accomplishing a tortious result and his own conduct, separately considered, constitutes a breach of duty to the third person.
Then, the Judge noted that there was no Pennsylvania precedent regarding the legal duties of someone sending a text message to a person who was operating a motor vehicle, but there was a case out of New Jersey addressing the issue. In Kubert v. Best, a New Jersey court held that as a matter of New Jersey civil law, the sender of a text message could be potentially liable if an accident is caused by texting, but only if the sender knew or had special reason to know that the recipient would view the text and be distracted while driving.
Ultimately, the Judge in Gallatin v. Gargiulo decided to follow the reasoning of the New Jersey court and allowed the case to proceed forward against Fend to determine whether he was, in fact, texting Gargiulo while he knew she was driving.
Although this is only a trial court opinion and, as such, is not binding law in Pennsylvania because it has not been affirmed by the Superior or Supreme appellate courts, the Opinion in Gallatin v. Gargiulo and in the New Jersey case of Kubert v. Best put all texters in legal danger. Based on the potential legal liability, no one should text with someone who they know is driving. By now we all know that texting while driving is distracting and a common cause of vehicle accidents. If we text with someone who we know is driving, we are contributing to the risk, aiding the commission of a crime and may (and probably should) be held civilly liable for the consequences.
So, don’t text and drive AND don’t text with someone who you know is driving!

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