Georgia Injury Law Blog
A tragic car accident on Rockbridge Road in DeKalb County has killed two people, including a teenager.
According to this report, a car carrying six teenage boys crossed the center line and crashed into a Toyota Corolla, driven by 43-year-old Lisa Hutchinson. She died instantly. Her daughter was in the car with her, and suffered a broken collar bone and at least two fractures. The driver of the other car, a Honda Accord, also sustained injuries. One of the occupants of that car, 16-year-old Benjamin Bynum was also killed. All the teenagers, students at Stephenson High School, have suffered minor injuries.
The 16-year-old driver is likely to face charges. According to police, alcohol doesn’t seem to have been a factor in the car accident.
On the subject of teen-related car accidents which we have discussed at length on this blog, we also came across this letter written by a Dawson County coroner and funeral home owner to the Dawson News and Advertiser. In it, Ted Bearden speaks eloquently of the heartbreakingly high number of accident deaths involving teens that he has been seen over the last couple of years. Most of these deaths, he says, are because the driver was speeding, or not wearing a seatbelt. Bearden appeals to families of young drivers to constantly remind them of all the responsibilities that come when you’re driving a vehicle.
Teenagers must be made aware of their responsibilities when they are behind the wheel. Teen driver education at home cannot be something that’s left only for when there’s a serious accident in the community, and you sit your high schooler down for a heart-to-heart about safe driving, only to forget all about it until the next serious crash happens. Teenagers have busy lives and a thousand different things going on in their minds at any single time. Talking to them constantly and repeating the message over and over as often as you can, helps drill the point home. As Atlanta car accident lawyers and parents, we believe it’s an effort that’s worth making.