Car Goes Airborne Killing Two 17-Year-Old Riders
In Lynchburg, VA, two 17-year-old high-school girls were killed when the Honda Civic they were driving went off the side of the road and collided with a concrete pole. The car then went into the air and struck a tree before falling in front of a building. The two had been leaving a movie theater where they met other friends the night the crash occurred. The passenger in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident and the driver died later. Authorities said high speed was a factor that contributed to the accident and both girls were wearing seatbelts at the time. The school the girls attended created a grief center for grieving students.
Every automobile accident that results in a fatality is very tragic, but when that accident involves a teenager or a young child, it is much worse. It is a terrible tragedy when someone so young loses their lives as a result of either a mistake another person made on the roadway or an unforeseen incident that caused the accident. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in the United States there were over 3,000 people with ages ranging from 16 years of age to 20 years of age that were killed in an automobile accident in 2009. This is roughly 500 less than people ages 55 to 64 years of age, the second highest age range killed in an automobile accident in 2009. Overall, there were over 17,000 drivers killed in the United States in 2009. While these statistics do not reflect the most recent numbers, it does serve as a major indication of the frequency that young people are killed in car accidents.
While this accident may not have been caused by external forces other than excessive speed, there are many accidents that result from external forces such as another car veering into the path of an oncoming vehicle causing a crash or defects in a vehicle causing serious accidents. Whatever the case may be, if you or someone you know has been injured or killed in an automobile accident that resulted from external forces such as another car or person, you can contact an attorney who can help you get compensation for the damage to your vehicle and injuries you or your loved ones may suffer.
