An 18-year-old driver speeding through slush-covered streets in rural New York lost control of his vehicle and barreled into three young siblings who were waiting for the bus one recent Tuesday morning. 
Our Manhattan personal injury lawyers understand that three siblings had been standing outside their home, waiting for the school bus, when the car slammed into them.
All three siblings – one boy and two girls, the youngest being 10 – were rushed to a nearby hospital, while the driver of the car ended up stuck in a ditch. Two of the victims sustained serious traumatic head injuries, while the third had lower body injuries. The eldest sibling had to be transported to a trauma center, where she was most recently listed in critical condition for massive internal bleeding, head trauma and multiple broken bones. She had to undergo emergency surgery and is still fighting for her life.
The other two are expected to recover quickly.
The 18-year-old male driver has been ticketed for unsafe speed. He was not injured.
All of those involved were classmates at the same school.
The father of the driver said he is “traumatized” and extremely remorseful. Of course, we are sure he never intended for anyone to be hurt when he set out for school that day. But no matter how old a driver is, he or she accepts an important responsibility each and every time they get behind the wheel, and they must be held accountable for negligent actions.
A speeding ticket in this case isn’t enough. It is possible additional charges could be filed, but we recognize that this young lady is going to have a recovery time of weeks, if not months or years. She and her family are likely entitled to compensation for having endured.
The National Safety Council reports that speeding drivers are to blame for some 13,000 deaths in this country annually. In work zone crashes, speed was a factor in nearly 30 percent of fatalities, according to a 2005 study.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Association reports that the most likely drivers to be involved in speed-related wrecks are young males. A 2007 study found that nearly 40 percent of all male drivers under the age of 20 who were involved in fatal traffic crashes were speeding.
Often, we tend to think of highways as the primary place for speed-related crashes. Not so. Almost 50 percent of speed-related wrecks happened on roads that had a posted speed limit of less than 50 miles per hour and nearly 1 in 5 happened on a road where the posted speed limit was 35 miles per hour or less.
Speed tends to be a habitual driving behavior, which means the earlier we can stress upon our kids the importance of slowing down, the more likely they will be to avoid it as a whole as they get older. This is especially true when the road conditions are poor. New drivers need to be taught that speed limits are suggestions for when road conditions are optimal. In inclement weather, they should be traveling much slower. If it gets very bad or visibility is poor, teach them to pull over until it improves or to call you if they fear it won’t.
The Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC offers free consultations. Call 1-877-313-7673.
Additional Resources:
Students identified in Brasher Falls crash, Feb. 12, 2013, Staff Report, WPTZ News Channel 5
More Blog Entries:
NYC Child Injuries Decline Following School Zone Safety Program, Feb. 5, 2013, Manhattan Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
