The unexpected death of a community member can come as a shock. This seems to be especially the case when that person is a teenager who had his entire life ahead of him. A North Carolina community is mourning the loss of a teenager today after his tragic death in a fatal car accident. Understandably, the teen’s family is shaken, and may ultimately choose to consider their legal right to file a wrongful death lawsuit as a result of the tragedy.
The accident occurred in the early morning hours of a day in mid April. Police reports indicate that the 17-year-old driver of a sports utility vehicle apparently missed a turn, which caused the vehicle to leave the road. The car came to a stop after striking a tree on the front passenger side.
The 15-year-old front passenger died at the scene of the accident. The driver now faces several charges, including reckless driving and death by motor vehicle. Police claim that the teenager could have been driving up to 20 mph over the speed limit at the time of the accident.
The death of a child is something no parent should have to experience. In addition to their grief, this family will also have to cope with the financial repercussions of their son’s death, including funeral expenses. In order to seek some relief for the financial stresses created by the accident, the family of the deceased teen has the option of filing a wrongful death case in a North Carolina civil court. This claim would likely be filed against the teen driver as well as any separate owner of the vehicle he was operating. If they can prove that the accident was caused by the driver’s negligence, the court could order that the family be paid damages stemming from the fatal car accident.
Source: wnct.com, “New Details: Driver charged in wreck that killed teen“, , April 21, 2014