A teenage girl took responsibility on April 9 for her actions in a car accident that killed a teenage boy in June 2013. The girl was driving the vehicle when the car accident happened in Richmond County.
According to police, the 16-year-old girl was driving on Smith Road on June 21, 2013, with five people in her car. All of the occupants were aged between 13 and 22. When the car crashed in Grand River, everyone inside was injured and transported to Strait Richmond Hospital. One of the passengers, a 17-year-old boy, was flown to Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre for further treatment. Only days following his transfer, he was declared deceased.
The girl was subsequently taken into custody and charged with driving without a licensed driver in the passenger seat, driving with too many passengers in her vehicle and careless driving. The first charge was dismissed, but she pleaded guilty to the other two charges on April 9. She was scheduled to appear in provincial court on May 15 for her sentencing.
As with all car accidents, the victims have a right to seek compensation. In this case, the administrator for the deceased teen, which is likely the boy’s parents, could file a wrongful death claim to seek damages for the boy’s death.
If the family wins damages, they may be able to recover the cost of travel to visit the boy while he was hospitalised. They could also recover other out-of-pocket expenses related to his hospitalisation and death. The family may also win an amount that compensates for the loss of the companionship that they expected to receive from the boy if he had lived.
Source: CBC News, “Teenage driver pleads guilty in fatal Richmond County crash“, April 09, 2014