Teen Car Accident Attorneys Big Auto

Teenagers in general face a higher risk of vehicle-related injuries caused by distractions and their limited experience as drivers. When they’re not fully focused on the road, inexperienced drivers may drive through red lights or stop signs and get struck by vehicles with the right-of-way.

Teenagers may also forget to fasten their seatbelts or overlook repairing their vehicles’ broken safety features. Airbags, for example, that fail to inflate as they’re designed to do during a collision could lead to bodily harm.

Some additional reasons why teens could become involved in car accidents

Inclement weather conditions that do not alert a young driver to the need to drive under the speed limit can contribute to a teen vehicle crash. Newly licensed drivers may not recognize when it’s time to slow down or pull over and stop until a storm passes. In another unfortunate scenario, vehicle malfunctions could leave inexperienced drivers stuck on the highway, which then increases the likelihood of getting hit by another motorist.

Because of cell phone distractions, 7% of teenage crashes in 2021 resulted in fatalities, according to the U.S. DOT. Reading or sending text messages takes a driver’s attention away from the road. Even if a driver is not using a phone, a passenger could divert a motorist’s attention away from the road by becoming involved with emotionally charged messages on a mobile device.

No matter who caused the crash, getting your teenager to an emergency room could help prevent future medical complications. A whiplash injury, which often occurs after a rear-end collision, often requires medical attention even if there’s no immediate discomfort.

It could take several days for someone to experience the type of neck or back whiplash pain that indicates a progressively deteriorating injury. You could provide your parental consent to the hospital’s staff so that they can take x-rays or imaging scans even if doing so appears to be pointless. A physician may need to run several tests to accurately determine if your teenager’s spinal nerves or discs suffered any damage.

Some reasons why teens may hesitate to seek medical treatment

Teens who spend time on the internet may come across inaccurate — although somewhat convincing — information concerning certain medical procedures or prescriptions. Accordingly, some teens may not trust health care professionals enough to question them about their injuries or treatments. Parents, however, have the authority to make medical decisions on behalf of their adolescent children.

Some adolescents experience symptoms of anxiety or depression. They may also resist seeking professional help to avoid hearing that they might have mental health issues. A debilitating vehicle accident could, however, significantly alter your teen’s lifestyle and overall outlook. Your son or daughter may, for example, no longer possess the physical strength to engage in sports as before. Encouraging discussions concerning post-accident emotional distress could help your teen to better accept a need for professional mental health care.

Teens face the highest risks of vehicle accidents while driving at night and during the weekends. As a concerned parent of a teenage passenger injured in a vehicle accident, you may question whether the driver had been drinking, and if intoxication played a role in the crash. Without sounding upset or judgmental, you could remain open to discussing the event freely so that your teen can receive the proper health care and move forward from the event.

You may have reasons to suspect that alcohol or another impairment contributed to a driver’s carelessness and the crash that harmed your teen. An experienced accident attorney could request copies of the official accident report and gather any information related to a DUI charge following the crash.

In cases involving distracted driving, an attorney can request a motorist’s mobile phone records from a telecommunications service provider. A court could approve an order to review a driver’s phone logs to see if he or she sent or received any text messages at the time of the collision. Cellphone records may also reveal other incoming or outgoing calls that may have contributed to the accident.

Medical records could help create a picture of the events surrounding the crash

If your teenager cannot or will not describe any details regarding what transpired before and after the crash, his or her healthcare treatments may reveal some of the details. For example, did an emergency medical services provider need to perform any life-saving procedures, such as resuscitation?

The type of treatments provided by paramedics arriving at the scene of the accident may help you learn whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash. Parents may also review how the hospitals that admitted their teens treated them after the accident. You may, for example, find information about emergency blood transfusions or intravenous fluids that your teen received.

The ability of your teen to recover from the crash may determine the types of damages a court awards. By submitting ambulance and emergency room bills, the court could award compensation for accident-related medical expenses. Compensation may include surgery, follow-up visits and rehabilitation or therapy costs.

If your family suffered a wrongful death as a result of the accident, the court may award you relief for the loss of filial consortium, which refers to the companionship and affection that exists between parents and their children. You may also receive compensation for any unforeseen end-of-life medical care and funeral expenses that fell into your hands.

Economic, noneconomic and punitive damages

To recover economic damages, you need to show that the driver’s negligence resulted in medical bills related to your teen’s recovery. In cases involving disfigurement or a permanent disability, the court may calculate an award for the costs of reconstructive surgery or the life-long medical assistance that your teen may now require.

Noneconomic damages include compensation for humiliation, reputational loss or pain and suffering. The emotional distress that your teen experienced after the crash may also qualify for relief. Your child’s loss of enjoyment of life may contribute to the value of this award.

Some courts may approve of punitive damages to punish a recklessly negligent driver who caused a devastating crash. These awards generally serve as an example to prevent others from engaging in the same careless behavior. If the driver responsible for the crash acted unlawfully, such as watching a movie or texting while driving, a judge may have a more compelling reason to award punitive damages.

Many individuals believe that teenage motorists do not have the financial means to cover court orders for damages. While generally true, most licensed teenagers under the age of 18 have motor vehicle insurance coverage through their parents’ policies. You may also hold another teen’s parents liable for you or your teenager’s injuries.

Teens who operate company-owned vehicles to perform job-related tasks usually have insurance coverage through their employers’ policies. If your teenager rode in a car driven by another teen while at work, you may hold that teen’s employer vicariously liable for damages.

Other parties may have accountability

Vehicle accidents may involve teenagers driving while at school such as during a sports event or a drivers’ education program. A crash caused by poor maintenance of the vehicle or the surrounding grounds could, for example, allow you to file a lawsuit against the vehicle or property owner.

If there’s any doubt, an attorney can help you verify and confirm that a teenager who caused a crash had a valid driver’s license. A teen driving without a license, however, may indicate that he or she had unlawful control of a vehicle that belongs to someone else. The vehicle’s owner may have breached a duty of care by lending the car to an unlicensed driver, and you may have grounds for a legal action.

Defective vehicles or car parts may have contributed to a vehicle crash. An experienced accident attorney could uncover information about recent recalls. If your teen’s injuries resulted from a faulty product, you may hold the vehicle or parts manufacturer liable for damages.