Multiple Lawsuits Filed After Teens' Deaths in Motorcycle Crash
The family of a teenager who was killed last year when his motorcycle collided with an oncoming vehicle has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the car and his insurance company. The incident occurred June 9th of last year when the 17-year-old victim was driving his motorcycle along US Highway 45 in Oshkosh, WI when he collided with a vehicle driven by an 18-year-old man.
Five days after the accident occurred, the 17-year-old victim died of the injuries he sustained. His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in May seeking unspecified damages for medical and funeral costs as well as compensation for loss of companionship. Details of medical and funeral expenses showed a total cost of just over $146,000.
According to the report, the 18-year-old driver suffered a broken jaw, several cuts to his face, and a fracture to his sinus cavity. The family of the 18-year-old driver filed a personal injury lawsuit in April against the insurer for the 17-year-old’s motorcycle seeking unspecified damages. The lawsuit is seeking damages for medical expenses and pain and suffering due to the injuries the 18-year-old suffered when he collided with a tree after striking the 17-year-old’s motorcycle. Neither lawsuit has any court dates scheduled as of yet.
According to the report, the 17-year-old motorcycle rider had consumed alcohol prior to the accident. Combining alcohol along with operating a motorcycle increases the potential danger of the situation significantly. This could cause some difficulty in the lawsuit against the insurance company for the 18-year-old driver as the alcohol consumption could be used against the motorcycle rider. It could be argued that the 17-year-old’s alcohol consumption contributed to the accident more than the 18-year-old man did. Regardless of the factors that could play into each lawsuit, the unfortunate part of this incident is that a 17-year-old teen lost his life and an 18-year-old suffered significant injuries in an accident that could possibly have been avoided.