Teen deaths from vehicular accidents are emotionally gut-wrenching events that happen far too often. When teenagers die in a fatal accident in Georgia or elsewhere, their families and friends undergo a time of devastating emotional suffering. A traffic fatality is always distressing but when the lives of young people are abruptly lost, the tragedy can be intensely shocking to family, friends, and also the community.
That unwelcome trauma came to a Georgia town recently when two male college students, ages 18 and 19, were killed in a one-car accident. One of the deceased males was driving the car when he apparently lost control, crossed into the other lane of traffic and crashed into a brick sign. The car burst into flames after impact.
The early-morning fatalities occurred in the Georgia town of East Cobb. Reports later in the day identified the decedents as former high school soccer players who were attending a Georgia college. Cobb police stated that the car was traveling at a high rate of speed – they asked for anyone with information to come forward.
In Georgia, when a passenger dies in a fatal accident in which the negligent person is the driver of the car carrying that passenger, the surviving immediate family members may elect to consider a possible wrongful death claim. The reckless acts of a driver are rarely attributed to a passenger. There are several elements of monetary compensation available in such cases. Although money cannot take away the overwhelming loss suffered by the family, the law provides such relief under time-honored principles that attempt to provide at least a measure of compensation for the wrongful loss of life.
Source: East Cobb, GA Patch, “2 Teens Die in Sandy Plains Road Crash,” Feb. 4, 2013
