NJ Woman Faces Prison For Texting-While-Driving Death

Posted on 
December 2, 2019
By 
No Comments

An instance of texting while driving resulted in a conviction for vehicular homicide in New Jersey on Friday, Nov. 22. Alexandra Mansonet, 50, could go to prison for up to 10 years for her role in a two-car accident that resulted in the death of a pedestrian.

Mansonet was driving in Monmouth County when prosecutors alleged she was distracted by a text from her former sister-in-law. The momentary distraction is said to be the reason Mansonet’s vehicle rear-ended a vehicle that was stopped at a crosswalk. The impact of the crash knocked the stopped car into 39-year-old Yuwen Wang, who was crossing a street.

Wang was an employee of nearby International Flavors and Fragrances plant and was talking a short break to walk the Henry Hudson Trail when the accident occurred. She later died from her injuries. 

Mansonet denied she was responding to the text message in her testimony in Superior Court. She claimed to be turning off her windshield wipers and turning on her car’s defroster when the accident occurred. Police uncovered evidence of the texting activity after Mansonet allowed officers to search her phone.

Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni is hoping the case’s outcome will send a message to other NJ drivers on the importance of not texting and driving. “Texting while driving puts drivers and pedestrians in grave danger, and we are hopeful that the jury’s verdict will reinforce the public’s awareness of this risk,” he said in a statement.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that, in 2017, phones were implicated in 401, or 14 percent, of the total of 3166 distraction-related road fatalities. In New Jersey, driver inattention was a contributing factor in nearly 800,000 motor vehicle crashes between 2012 and 2016.

New Jersey isn’t the only state trying to make an example of drivers who are distracted by their phones while driving. In New York, prosecutors sentenced a truck driver to 4.5 years for striking and killing a woman while he filled out an online survey on his phone. While it is important that such risky behavior carries serious consequences, the available data seems to indicate it is thus far ineffective at curbing it.

A ticket for “distracted driving” in NJ can cost between $200 and $400 for a first offense, $400 and $600 for a second offense, and $600 to $800 for a third or subsequent offense. Drivers can also face a license suspension following a third ticket, as well as receive 3 points on his/her license. 

 

Author Bio

Adam H. Rosenblum

Founding Attorney Of Rosenblum Law

Adam H. Rosenblum is an experienced and skilled traffic violations and criminal defense attorney. Mr. Rosenblum provides expert and aggressive representation to those facing points on their drivers’ licenses and the associated fines and surcharges.

Read Full Bio

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Free Consultation

Call us now for a quick, free, and no obligation colustion with one of our attorneys.
888-883-5529

Featured Experts

Kent Ng

NYPD (Ret.)
Read More

Mike Gheller

NYPD Officer
Read More

Travis Hall

NY State Police
Read More

Related Articles

Learn more about traffic tickets and criminal matters in New York and New Jersey.

NYS Cell Phone Tickets Increase From 3 To 5 Points

On March 31 at a press conference in NYC, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced increased penalties for cell phone use...
Read More

Brooklyn Teacher Killed by NYPD Officer Driving and Talking on Cell Phone

According to Newser, a 61 year-old middle school Spanish teacher was killed by a NYPD Officer who was talking on...
Read More
July 11, 2013

NJ Increases Cell Phone Ticket Fines, Adds Points

Listen up, New Jersey drivers! As of July 1, 2014 cell phone tickets in NJ officially carry a $200 minimum...
Read More
July 28, 2014

We've Fought Over 50,000 Traffic Ticket Cases

Call us now for a quick, free, and no-obligation consultation.
888-883-5529
chevron-down Free Consult Call Now linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram