California car accident claims several teenagers’ lives

Car Accidents,Our Blog | October 10, 2014

One recent crash in California cost a few teenagers their lives. The car accident took place a little past 2 a.m. and happened on a Saturday. Reportedly, six teenagers were returning from an amusement park, Knott’s Berry Farm.

The vehicle carrying the teens all of a sudden left Interstate 5 and ended up crashing and catching fire. Three teen boys died in the crash. Two teen girls also passed away as a result of the collision. The driver, said to be 16, apparently did not have a license, and even if he did, he was not permitted under California law at that late hour or with other teens in his vehicle (in the absence of an adult over 25 years of age.

Police said the top of the car was flattened, and burn marks covered it. The vehicle had to be towed away from the accident scene. One boy and the two girls who were killed, unfortunately, weren’t wearing their seat belts, officers said. The three boys that were killed were 15, 14 and 14. The driver survived.

In this case, the family members of the passengers in the car may choose to file wrongful death claims against the driver and, due to his age, likely his parents. There must be competent proof that the driver was negligent at the time of the accident in order for his or her financial responsibility for the deaths to be properly established in civil court. For instance, the driver may have been operating the vehicle while distracted or might have been speeding. A winning case, based upon proof of negligence, may lead to monetary damages that can help the surviving loved ones to move on from the horrific California car accident.

Source: Fox News, “Separate southern California car crashes kill 10 people“, , Oct. 5, 2014