As a parent as well as a Seattle personal injury lawyer and Washington wrongful death attorney I get anxious when teens hit the roads and explore their new found freedom. Sadly, teenage accidents occur on a daily basis and many of these leave the victims with permanent injuries or dead. Another one of these horrible teen accidents occurred this week in California where a fatal car accident has left a 17-year-old boy faced with charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and involuntary manslaughter.
The accident occurred on Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach California on Sunday August 22nd just after midnight. A Ford Mustang was racing a Ford Taurus headed eastbound on Ocean Boulevard at speeds excess of 100 miles per hour when the two cars collided forcing the Mustang into a spin that sent it crashing into a concrete sign along the median of the road.
Three passengers in the Mustang were ejected from the vehicle- a 32-year-old woman and unidentified female were pronounced dead at the scene along with the 18-year-old male driver of the Mustang, Jesse Heredia. A 19-year-old male passenger was rush to the hospital in critical condition, but died due to injuries sustained in the accident two days after the crash.
The occupants of the Taurus fled the scene on foot and were later caught by police. The Taurus was later found to be a stolen vehicle and the driver was found to be without a license.
The driver of the Taurus is now in custody and faces massive charges for the deaths of the four individuals in the Mustang.
It is horrible incidents such as these that make the car accident fatality rate for teens so high. As a parent this can be disconcerting and stressful- but there are steps you can take to help make your teen a better and safer driver the article: Top Teen Driving Tips is a useful tool for parents in teaching their child the ways of the road and preventing accidents like this through proactive measures.
