According to the Franklin News-Post, a 17-year-old boy was killed while riding in a Mercury Cougar with three other teens after school in Franklin County. The female classmate who was driving hit a curve at a high rate of speed and lost control of the car, crossed into oncoming traffic, collided with two other vehicles and ran off the road before hitting a building.
The three surviving teens in the Mercury and the driver of one of the other vehicles were taken to the hospital with injuries.
Many factors may have contributed to the accident. Speeding surely made it difficult for the young driver to control the car around a curve. She also may have been distracted by something and failed to see the curve in time to reduce her speed. Drivers of any age can become distracted while driving, but teens are particularly susceptible to being distracted by other people in the car, a cell phone, an after-school snack or a song on the radio.
Whatever caused the fatal wreck, many people’s lives were changed forever by this accident — not only the individuals directly involved, but also their families and friends and the emergency responders called to the scene.
All of the accident victims and their families should contact a Virginia injury lawyer to determine whether a wrongful death or personal injury case should be filed. If it seems wrong for the teens to file a claim against the driver of the vehicle in which they were riding, read this information from a car accident attorney to understand why a claim should be filed even if a friend was driving.
MH