A Georgia man filed a lawsuit against a teenager and Snapchat app company, blaming them for a car crash accident. The lawsuit claimed the teen was using Snapchat while driving over 100 miles per hour, which caused her vehicle to crash into the plaintiff's and leave him with injuries.
According to New York Times, the Snapchat selfie of teenager, Christal McGee, became the grounds to sue the teenager of reckless driving while using the app. The plaintiff, Wentworth Maynard, also sued Snapchat for negligence. The incident happened in 2015 when McGee, who was 18 years old at the time, was driving a Mercedes-Benz with her friends, when she slammed into Maynard's car on the road.
Maynard's representing lawyer said his client sustained "severe traumatic brain injury" after the crash. He and his wife filed the legal complaint on 19th of April. His legal team distributed the teen's snapchat selfie photo, showing her on the gurney which led the police to investigate the accident.
The lawsuit claims McGee was driving her father's car around 11pm on 10th of September 2015 with her restaurant co-workers when she allegedly began using a Snapchat filter. The feature clocks the speed of vehicles and overlays it on the photo taken, CNET cited.
At the time of the collision, McGee was driving 107 mph, the lawsuit stated. Maynard, who was working as an Uber driver, remained in intensive care unit and was unable to walk without assistance and work, his legal team said. However, McGee and her family said Maynard was responsible for the accident.
The plaintiff is also blaming Snapchat over the incident. The lawyers stated even though they knew the risk and dangers, the app company declined to remove the app's feature. "Snapchat has a responsibility to act reasonably to take steps to eliminate risks associated with their products," the Verge quoted. The messaging application has an in-app warning, telling users to avoid using it while driving.
The Police Department is trying to verify the speed, adding that Maynard may also have committed a moving violation by changing lanes without signaling.
