A community is in mourning after a fatal car accident involving five local high school students. The wreck occurred when a 17-year-old student drove into an intersection, hitting a northbound truck. The 17-year-old driver and his 18-year-old passenger both died at the scene, while another 14-year-old passenger is being treated for serious injuries. It appears that there was no stop sign at the intersection and the cars may not have yielded to each other as required. The driver of the truck was a 15-year-old-boy who suffered critical injuries. The boy’s passenger, another 15-year-old, suffered serious injuries and remains hospitalized. Police are still investigating the crash but say speed likely played a factor in the accident.
The 15-year-old driver of the truck had a farmer’s permit which allows for younger individuals to drive without a parent or guardian in limited situations. However, the farmer’s permit did not allow him to have a minor in the car as a passenger. Even if the 15-year-old is found to not be responsible for the accident, he and, by proxy, his family could be held liable for his passenger’s injuries because driving him was a violation of law.
While license laws may differ from state to state, the pain and stress caused by accidents is certainly a universal outcome of incidents such as the above. Recovering from car accident injuries can be painful, stressful, frightening, and costly. Fortunately, the civil legal system allows these individuals to sue the driver responsible for the accident in an attempt of recovering compensation for their damages. A Kansas City attorney may be able to help a victim fight for the compensation he or she deserves, therefore allowing him or her to move past the incident and focus on reclaiming his or her health.
Source: KWCH, “Two teenagers killed in Harper Co. crash,” Devon Fasbinder, June 20, 2014