It should be common knowledge to many people, especially those who are always driving, to always look on the road and avoid using their phones as much as possible in order to prevent mishaps. However, this was not the case for a driver exceeding the speed limit, which led to a tragic accident of two people, and a lawsuit against Snapchat.
The popular social media app is being called into court by a man from Georgia after being hit by another driver going over 107 miles per hour, and was reportedly using the aforementioned app.
According to the lawsuit, Wentworth Maynard, a former Uber driver, was attempting to merge into a four-lane highway outside of Atlanta, Georgia when suddenly, a blazing vehicle struck him "so violently it shot across the left lane into the left embankment," according to CNN Money. The person who hit Maynard was identified as Christal McGee, and was apparently using Snapchat's speed filter.
"McGee wanted to post an image of herself going fast. She argued that she was, 'Just trying to get the car to 100 miles per hour to post it on Snapchat,'" according to the lawyers.
Snapchat's speed filter measures the speed of a user's vehicle, and then allows the user to post their photo or video on the app. It then rewards the user with "trophies" to the users of the filter.
A passenger in McGee's car stated that the Snapchat filter detected a speed of 113 mph, and was at 107 mph when the crash happened. The speed limit on the highway was 55 mph.
Moreover, according to the complaint, Snapchat was the cause of the accident between Maynard and McGee. "While [she] was distracted and on her phone, McGee did not notice that a gray Mitsubishi, driven by Maynard Wentworth, had pulled out onto the road."
As a result of the issue, Maynard and his wife Karen are now seeking damages from the social app. Maynard suffered major traumatic brain injuries, and spent five weeks in intensive care. He also now requires a walker or a wheelchair to be able to get around.
Meanwhile, McGee, who was also injured, took a snap while in the ambulance, with blood on her face. It contained the caption "lucky to be alive."
“We’ll see to it that Christal McGee is held responsible, but we also want to see Snapchat held responsible,” said T. Shane Peagler, an attorney for Maynard. “This is a product liability case because Snapchat put something very dangerous in the marketplace without any warnings or safeguards, and basically said, whatever happens, happens."
A spokesman for Snapchat said that the company cannot comment on an ongoing lawsuit, but has stated that the app's speed filter should not be used while driving.
Source: CNN Money
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