Single-Vehicle Accident Leads to Wrongful Death Lawsuit
An Idaho teen’s death in a single-vehicle accident has spurned a wrongful death lawsuit from the teenager’s family. The incident originally occurred in September when the 18-year-old was traveling at high speeds and failed to turn through a curve in the road. Authorities found the victim’s blood alcohol level was just over two times the legal limit.
The victim’s vehicle was being chased by a second vehicle driven by a 20-year-old man. Reports indicate the chase began because of some stolen shot glasses. Four people are named in the lawsuit including the 20-year-old driver that chased the 18-year-old teen’s car. The lawsuit is seeking over $10,000 from each of the defendants named in the suit. In June a previous wrongful death suit had been filed on behalf of one woman who survived the accident.
Although this accident was a single-vehicle accident, it was still instigated by a second party. The person that was chasing the victim’s car was ultimately charged with reckless driving; a misdemeanor charge. This incident demonstrates how drastically a person’s life could be changed forever and how a person’s life could easily be lost by a split-second decision. The lawsuit claims that the 18-year-old’s death was a direct result of the 20-year-old man chasing the vehicle down. If the argument holds up, the 20-year-old could be held liable for the victim’s death and the other parties named in the suit could also be held responsible in some way.
Unfortunately, even if the teenager’s family wins the lawsuit, there is nothing that they can do to bring their son back. They will have to live with the burden of losing their 18-year-old child long before his time. Although many people see this kind of tragedy happen all the time, it still does not stop them from drinking and getting behind the wheel later on. Despite hearing about drunken driving accidents, nobody ever expects to be caught in one of those situations. However, this incident demonstrates how quickly and easily an accident can occur regardless of how careful you are as a driver.
