Recent high school graduates have the world at their feet. They are met with many opportunities and decisions about how they will steer their life paths. Unfortunately, car accidents can easily destroy those hopes and ambitions. In one such instance, two teenagers in California were recently killed in an accident.
The accident happened around 7 p.m. one evening in mid-October. Police claim that the two 18-year-olds — high school sweethearts who graduated earlier this year — were traveling in a pickup truck on a California roadway. According to reports, a sedan driven by a 68-year-old man was speeding, when it drove through a stop sign.
The sedan then reportedly struck a median, sending it through the air and sheering off the top of the pickup truck’s cab before landing on its roof in a nearby parking lot. Witnesses indicate that the two teenagers passed away before paramedics arrived. The driver of the sedan and a 62-year-old passenger suffered serious injuries. Both were transported to the hospital for treatment. While police continue to investigate the accident, they do not suspect that drugs or alcohol were contributing factors.
Unfortunately, many families in California know the impact that car accidents can have. The families of these two young people now have to cope with the losses of their loved ones. While it is unclear at this time if charges are expected to be filed, the families can seek justice in a civil court. If they can prove that the driver was negligent, the court could order that he pay damages to help them manage the financial ramifications of their losses. In some cases, such litigation is able to provide some degree of closure in a time of grief.
Source: Los Angeles Times, “High school sweethearts killed in Hacienda Heights crash“, Hailey Branson-Potts and Brittny Mejia, Oct. 19, 2015