Three teenagers died in a rear-end accident in the greater Los Angeles area. They were from out of state but in California enjoying Spring Break. In addition to the three who died, a fourth teen suffered serious injuries, including burn injuries to the teen’s face.
Despite the stigma that surrounds teenage drivers, a teen driver was not responsible for this auto accident, at least according to the initial investigation. Instead, someone from Los Angeles hit the car full of teens from behind while the teens were stopped at a stoplight. Apparently, the force of the impact caused the teen’s car to catch fire.
The woman who struck the teens from behind was subsequently arrested in connection with the accident. She was eventually released on a $100,000 bond and is facing charges of driving under the influence, as well as vehicular manslaughter.
And, the woman who caused this accident is also potentially responsible under the civil law to compensate the victims of this accident. The victims’ families will, after all, have to pay medical expenses, funeral bills and, quite likely, other expenses in connection with the death of their loved ones.
The teen who survived may need ongoing treatment and rehabilitation. Moreover, all of these victims have gone through a lot of suffering on account of this woman’s actions, and they deserve compensation for this as well. And, the families may be able to recover punitive damages depending on the outcome of the police’s ongoing investigation.
Source: Los Angeles Times, “3 Las Vegas teens killed in fiery crash in Huntington Beach are identified,” Hannah Fry, April 2, 2018