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Snapchat filter blamed for horrific car crash; lawsuit pending

 

In September of last year, 18 year old Christal McGee was driving her father’s Mercedes home from work. As she was driving, she decided to grab her phone and open an app. McGee had the notion to open the Snapchat app that is a speed filter to let people know how fast they are actually traveling. McGee decided she was going to test the Mercedes.

McGee was driving in suburban Atlanta and the posted speed limit where she was read 55 MPH. McGee decided to press her foot down to see how fast a Mercedes Benz could go. She looked down and noticed she was, all of a sudden, going 113 MPH. Of course, she didn’t even see the the car she crashed into. Maynard Wentworth was just starting his Thursday night shift driving for Uber. McGee’s Mercedes slammed into him doing 107 MPH.

Both were nearly killed. Wentworth was in the hospital for several months and now must deal with serious traumatic brain injuries. Last week, Wentworth filed a lawsuit against both McGee and Snapchat. The suit is claiming negligence. Wentworth also holds Snapchat responsible for not actually eliminating the speed app from its system even after it had been cited for contributing to many accidents and crashes prior to Wentworth’s crash.

McGee later stated that she was trying to get the Mercedes to travel over 100 MPH so she could post it to Snapchat.

As if nearly being killed wasn’t enough, McGee took a selfie while in the ambulance on the way to the hospital and posted it immediately. She had been thrown into the windshield but still wanted to get that selfie taken. McGee also had a pregnant passenger that night whom she was driving home yet pressed her foot to the floor despite her pregnant co-worker’s protests.

The suit also claims that Wentworth has suffered brain damage and ended up losing over 50 pounds because he is unable to work. the suit also claims that Snapchat has been well aware of the many car crashes and wrecks where the drivers were involved with the Snapchat speed filter and that the company still has done nothing to prevent these things from happening.

Snapchat has no comment about the pending lawsuit.