A Fatal Car Accident is a Too Common Occurrence During Summer

The summer of a person’s 17th year is typically filled with hope and anticipation for one’s senior year of high school and what comes afterwards. Sudden death does not top that list in New Jersey, but for one 17-year-old rising senior and her family, it became a reality on a recent weekend. The story is all too familiar as her death was caused by a car accident, one of the many that continue to ravage the nation’s highways.

The accident occurred early in the morning on a recent Saturday. The 17-year-old girl was the passenger in a pickup truck that was struck from behind. The impact injured the driver of the truck, and his passenger, the young girl, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators believe the driver of the car that struck the truck was drunk at the time of the accident. A passenger in his vehicle also died as a result of injuries suffered in the accident. She and the other girl who died were both members of the same high school community. The driver of the truck was also an alum of the same school. The drivers of both vehicles were transported to an area hospital.

Losing a loved one as the result of a car accident is horrific, and the tragedy is compounded when it was caused by a drunk driver. Car accidents cannot always be prevented in New Jersey, but those caused by drunk drivers can be. The choice to drink and drive is never a good one. No amount of time can fully erase the grief caused by the death of a loved one, especially one so young. A successfully litigated civil suit can provide compensation for final costs, pain and suffering, and other verifiable losses.