A young woman was killed in Tennessee when the car that she was riding in failed to yield to traffic and was struck by another vehicle. After the accident, she was injured and remained in the vehicle while the other two girls, including the driver, got out and ran from the scene. They were later spotted and returned to talk to the police. By the time injured girl could get medical attention, it was too late for her.
The driver in the case was charged with a number of different counts. The accident was her fault because she did not yield. On top of that, she did not have a license. She was also charged with both reckless driving and causing an accident that led to the death of someone else.
The mother of the girl who passed away, however, is not happy with the results. She pointed out that the charges did not include leaving the scene of the accident; there are laws against leaving the scene, especially if someone has been killed. The mother has argued that the girls should be punished for that, even though they came back eventually. She says that there is no way to know how long her own daughter was still alive in the car, all by herself, implying that she may have survived if the girls had stayed and tried to help her rather than running off.
Laws like this are important for those who have been in car accidents where a personal injury or a wrongful death has occurred. However, criminal charges are not necessary in order for the family of a loved one killed in such an accident to seek compensation for their losses.
Source: WMCTV, “Mother of teen killed in crash wants justice” Lauren Squires, Mar. 28, 2014
