Parents of Jonathan Weaver, an 18-year-old boy killed by a truck driver, who was allegedly watching porn while driving, are filing a lawsuit against Energy Transfer Partners, the company the driver worked for, CBS News reports.
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“I am not an angry person by nature, and as time goes on, I’m definitely dealing with anger over that, because to me it’s so senseless – watching porn, cellphone use,” Jonathan’s mother Delena Weaver said. “He killed my son.”
Chip Brooker, who represents the parents, called the case, “one of the most extreme, egregious cases of distracted driving.” He continued. “Energy Transfer is a billion-dollar company that has the resources to monitor and detect this sort of conduct with their drivers.”
CBS cites a Travelers study released in October that found 48% of drivers admitted to reading a text, and one in four update social media and take pictures or videos while driving. The CDC also reports that nine people a day die in the U.S. due to distracted driving crashes, many of which are the result of a driver checking their cellphone.
“Please put your phones down,” Delena Weaver pleaded to CBS’ Kris Van Cleave. “Your life and other people’s lives are valuable. Put the phones away. It can wait.”