The last phone call any parent wants to receive is that their teenager was in a car accident. In some cases, the accident may have resulted from the actions of the teenager, and in other cases, the other driver may have liability for the accident.
Unfortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research and data indicate that over half of all teenagers text while driving causing thousands of accidents on the roadways throughout the United States every year.
If your teenager suffered injuries or losses in a car accident, learn how a teen car accident lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC can help you with your case. Call us at (844) 730-0233.
Texting While Driving
Not every car accident involving a teenager includes a person texting while driving, but the statistics remain shockingly high. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving (which includes texting while driving) results in over 2,800 fatalities every year in the United States. Some teenagers simply do not have a full understanding of how dangerous texting and driving or distracted driving can actually be and the consequences of those actions. As a result, many teenagers suffer injuries related to a car accident involving texting and driving.
Common Injuries Related to Teen Car Accidents
Teenagers suffer the same types of injuries related to accidents as adults. Due to the fact that teenagers have a greater risk of car accidents due to their inexperience, their injuries may result from inattention, speeding, or careless behavior.
Some of the types of injuries that occur as a result of a car accident may include traumatic brain injuries, back and spine injuries, neck injuries, paralysis, internal organ damage or bleeding, aortic dissection, broken or fractured bones, nerve damage, or even post-traumatic stress disorder.
Compensation for Car Accidents
If your teenager suffered injuries related to their car accident, they may have the legal right to pursue compensation for any injuries or losses. Property damage, medical bills, loss of wages, and pain and suffering are all the different types of injuries and losses your teenager may receive compensation for related to their car accident.
Every car accident involving a teenager will have its own set of facts and circumstances; therefore, the compensation for every accident will differ as well. If your teenager suffered any kind of injuries or losses as a result of negligence, they should have the right to seek compensation for those injuries and losses.
Building a Personal Injury Claim
In many cases, teenagers simply do not have the life skills to understand what steps to take following a serious car accident. They may attempt to admit guilt or start apologizing after the accident even if it was not their fault.
Make sure to try to teach your teenager before they drive that they should always call 911 after an accident, exchange information with any other drivers or witnesses, and never admit any kind of guilt or fault.
In order to build a personal injury claim to receive compensation for any losses or injuries suffered from a car accident, you will need to help your teenager do the following:
- Make sure to receive a medical evaluation if they have not already done so. This will not only ensure that their health receives proper evaluation and treatment, but also provides a basis upon which a personal injury claim remains founded and established legally
- Understand that any check that you accept from an insurance company can prevent you from seeking more compensation from them later on should your condition worsen.
- Make sure to keep complete documentation regarding any medical bills for physical or psychological injuries. Also, keep documents related to loss of work for the teenager, or loss of work for the parent, as a parent may need to take a teenager to a doctor’s appointment or to therapy. Keep all documents related to property damage.
- Keep a record of pain and suffering on a daily basis, which will help prove non-economic losses a teenager suffered as a result of a car accident.
Drinking and Driving
If your teenager suffered injuries as a result of driving a car while they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you will have additional challenges. The car accident case may evolve into a much more complex one if your underage teenager had a blood alcohol concentration level of any amount. Consider visiting with our legal team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC to learn how a teen car accident lawyer can help you specifically if your teenager has a charge of drinking while driving as well as suffered injuries related to a car accident.
Learn How a Teen Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You
Your family is likely feeling overwhelmed as your teenager suffered injuries or losses related to a car accident. It is one of the most stressful incidents in a parent’s life to learn that their teenager was in any way involved in a car accident.
If your teenager suffered any kind of injury as a result of a car accident, learn how a teen car accident lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC at (844) 730-0233 can help ensure your legal rights remain protected while you pursue compensation for your losses.
