Snapchat is being sued due to a serious car accident

By: Crystal Ortiz

 

Snapchat is fun and all, until it can possibly involve death, literally! Snapchat is being sued because of one of the filters it offers. For those who don’t use Snapchat too frequently, there is a filter on Snapchat that will read the speed you’re going at as you record a video or take a selfie while moving. On September 10, 2015, 18-year-old Christal McGee was driving a Mercedes. Two of her co-workers were also in the in the vehicle with her. One of her co-workers was pregnant and was giving her a ride home. McGee wanted to see how fast she could drive whie capturing it on Snapchat and share the speed with her Snapchat friends. She sped up until she reached 107 mph, according to the suit. It was fun and fearless until she crashed and injured Wentworth Maynard, an Uber driver. The accident left Maynard with severe traumatic brain injuries and chronic pain. He is now suing McGee and Snapchat to cover all medical bills and other care he will need for the rest of his life. People were left speechless when McGee still had the nerve to Snapchat “Lucky to be alive” after the crash with scrapes and blood on her face caused by the accident.

McGee refused to speak to the New York Times who attempted to interview her, but her grandfather, James McGee did speak on her behalf. He said that the teenager had also been seriously injured in the crash, and that her family believed Maynard was responsible for the accident. “He pulled his vehicle out in front of them,” Mr. McGee said, “not giving them enough time to stop. Now they’re trying to lay the rap on her.” (NYTimes.com)

The woman who was pregnant, Heather McCarty, shared her experience while being in the car with McGee with Channel 2 investigative reporter, Jodie Fleischer. “I’m like, ‘What are you doing? Slow down!” said she told McGee moments before the crash when she noticed how fast they were traveling. She says the teenage driver was holding her phone in her hand. “I asked her, ‘Did that keep up with the speed of the car?’ And she said, ‘Yeah.’ She was trying to hit 100 miles an hour and post it on Snapchat (www.wsbtv.com).

When first operating the speed filter, Snapchat warns the user to not “Snap and drive.” Last week, Snapchat reminded user once more not do “Snap and drive” by adding a special filter promoting motor safety. “Don’t snap and drive” was the border of this filter.

Snapchat refused to discuss any detail pertaining to the case itself for now. However, the company highlights that it has repeatedly warned users not to use the app in a way that would harm themselves or other people. Not only by letting users know on the filter itself but also in in the terms of service most of us usually tend to skip. A section on the terms of service states, “Do not use our Services in a way that would distract you from obeying traffic or safety laws. And never put yourself or others in harm’s way just to capture a Snap.”

The question is if Snapchat should be blame and responsible for Maynard’s medical bills or only McGee? Snapchat for encouraging Snapchating and driving or McGee for Snapchatting behind the wheel? ABC news posted the news on their Twitter page, which had people talking. One tweet said “If she was driving while using Snapchat she shouldn’t win this lawsuit”. Comments on the KTLA new Twitter page were also dropped. Most comments are relatable on how dumb and what waste of time this lawsuit will be. There is a law that prohibits drivers to text while driving. The driver can get fined for texting and driving, so what makes Snapchating and driving any different?