JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A road on the Westside is stained with Chuck Jensen’s blood. The 42 year old was struck by a car while walking home Sunday from Shindler Drive Baptist Church.
"It just hit me from behind," Jensen told Action News from his hospital bed at Orange Park Medical Center. He’s recovering from a concussion and a broken hand.
The driver at fault visited Jensen in the intensive care unit Monday and admitted he drove into the churchgoer while distracted by his cell phone.
"I'm not mad at him," said Jensen, "I'm just mad that it was negligence on his part."
Jacksonville personal injury attorney Leslie Goller of the Terrell-Hogan law firm says Florida is behind the times compared to most states and needs a law banning use of handheld devices while driving. "When you're calling on a cell phone or talking on a cell phone you're 4 times more likely to get into an accident," said Goller. "That's the same stats as drunk driving. When you're texting, you're 23 times more likely."
Florida is one of only 7 states prohibiting their cities and counties from enacting any kind of cell phone ban.
So, the distracted driver on the Westside wasn’t necessarily breaking the law on Sunday. The fellow churchgoer forgives the young man who hit him, but not the Sunshine State he believes is too lenient on distracted drivers.
Jensen said, "I think it should be a law that you get a big ticket because back in Connecticut it’s a big law. That’s where I’m from."
Distracted driving legislation in Florida has been proposed numerous times in recent years, but never passed.
