Teen Driver Car Accident Lawyers

Teen driver car accidents can happen anywhere and at any time. In many cases, a teen driver is at fault for the collision due to inexperience, distracted driving, intoxicated driving, or another cause. Yet teen drivers can also be injured or killed in collisions caused by other negligent motorists, and it is important to seek advice from an experienced teen driver car accident lawyer about filing a claim for financial compensation.

Teen driver car accidents happen much too frequently, and various factors can play a role in these collisions. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the following facts and figures about teen driving crashes:

• Each year, nearly 2,500 teens between the ages of 13-19 are killed in motor vehicle crashes, and approximately 285,000 sustain injuries that are serious enough to require treatment in emergency departments;
• Motor vehicle crash risks are highest among teen drivers between the ages of 16-19;
• Teen drivers are almost three times as likely as older drivers—even those aged 20 and up—to be involved in a deadly motor vehicle collision;
• Male teen drivers are killed in crashes at two times the rate of female teen drivers;
• Newly licensed teens are most likely to be injured or killed in a collision;
• Nighttime driving is the most dangerous time for teen drivers, when about 37 percent of all teen driver deaths occur;
• Weekend driving is also a dangerous time for teens, accounting for more than 50 percent of all teen driver deaths; and
• Teens increase their risk of a crash whenever they drive with one or more additional teenage passengers.

If your teenage driver was involved in a collision caused by another motorist, that at-fault motorist might try to raise the defense of comparative fault (or contributory negligence or contributory fault depending upon the state where the accident happened). To be clear, the at-fault driver might allege that your child was partially at fault due to inexperience or other issues commonly associated with teen driver accidents.

Different states have their own comparative fault rules. Some states, like California for example, follow a pure comparative fault rule that allows an injured party to obtain compensation regardless of his or her percentage of fault, but the total amount of damages received will be reduced by the injured party’s own portion of fault. Other states follow a similar rule but bar a plaintiff’s damages once the plaintiff is 50% or 51% at fault. In a small number of states, a plaintiff will be barred from recovery altogether if the plaintiff is even 1% at fault.

If your teenager was injured in a collision caused by a negligent motorist, you can work with a lawyer with experience in teen driver cases to prove that comparative fault is not a factor in the case.

If you were injured in a car accident involving a teen driver, or if your teen driver was harmed in a collision caused by another driver, it is important to seek advice from a teenage driver motor vehicle collision attorney as soon as possible. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more about how we can assist you with your case.