Oct 12, 2017 | 3 min read

3 Teens Dead in Head-On Crash in North Carolina

A 16-year old boy and two other teenagers died in a head-on crash in Advance, North Carolina on Oct. 6.

The 16 year-0ld was driving the car on Baltimore Road in Davie County, North Carolina when he attempted to pass a pickup truck. He slammed into an SUV going in the opposite direction. The three teens died at the scene.

State troopers estimated the boy’s vehicle was traveling at 100 MPH at the time of the collision.

The police pointed out that deadly car accidents are far too common among newly-licensed drivers. The CDC states that 2,333 teenagers died in car accidents in 2015. This is the leading cause of death for teenagers across the US.

Our View

As the North Carolina state troopers noted, the risk of teen car accidents is higher than average, but most of them are preventable. There are many things that teens and their parents can do to reduce the risk of accidents.

First, it is advised that young drivers drive as much as possible with an experienced adult driver. Also, teens should avoid the riskiest behaviors, such as not wearing seatbelts, and drive with several friends in the car. This appears to have happened in this tragic car accident. Too many friends in the car can be a distraction, and having other young people in the car can increase the chances of risky driver behavior.

All drivers and especially young drivers should always follow the speed limit that is posted, as well. The speed limit is posted to ensure that drivers are able to stay in control of their vehicle. Young drivers especially lack the experience to maintain control of their car at high speeds.

It also is important to slow down when driving at night. This is especially the case for new drivers. More experienced drivers are able to more easily avoid hazards in the dark.

Our Virginia and North Carolina personal injury attorneys want to remind all young drivers to use caution when behind the wheel. Lack of experience and the general aggressiveness that comes with youth can be a fatal combination.

The devastated families of the deceased passengers may wish to consider at some point taking legal action in civil court so that they may be compensated for their terrible loss. The driver of the vehicle in this crash may have been negligent, and it is possible that a wrongful death lawsuit could result in a substantial payout from the insurance policies in force at the time of the accident.

The passengers in this particular vehicle likely did not contribute in any way to the cause of the accident and they each have claims against their friend, the driver, assuming that the driver was negligent and caused this terrible tragedy.

Tragedies like this create strange situations, but the main form of civil injury or death compensation is for passengers to bring a claim against their friend or family member under these types of circumstances. Our firm has actually had claims of one spouse against another, or a family members against another negligent family member, particularly where there are major injuries or a death occurs and no other form of significant monetary compensation is available.