Daughter Sues Cellphone Industry for Mother's Death Caused by Distracted Driver

The New York Times reports that Jennifer Smith, whose mother "was killed last year when her car was hit by a driver talking on his cellphone," is suing "the companies that provided the driver's phone and wireless service. ... Legal experts said her lawsuit, currently the only such case and one of only a handful ever filed, faces steep challenges but also raises interesting questions about responsibility for behavior that is a threat to everyone on the road." Smith "argues that the industry's success in marketing to drivers is the reason people like" the driver responsible, Christopher Hill, "do not change their behavior or pay attention to what she characterizes as faint warnings by the industry."