Parental Accountability for Tragic Car Crashes

By Eugene Bruno on July 30, 2024

This is a heart-wrenching true story about an unlicensed teen who caused a horrific car crash that killed a young girl and landed the teen’s parents in criminal court.

The Case Overview

The 16-year-old boy had a junior license with restrictions, but his parents bought him a BMW anyway. Then, they allowed him to drive at night on city streets, violating his license restrictions. Wanting to impress a girl, the teen picked her up for what was supposed to be a 10-minute drive to her grandmother’s house. Instead, the teen raced through city streets at over 100 mph until he lost control of the car, resulting in a fatal crash that killed the girl and injured a pedestrian.

The teen driver is facing juvenile charges. Meanwhile, his parents—who bought him the car and failed to properly supervise his driving on a junior license—have been convicted and sentenced for their part in causing the crash.

This case raises important questions about the extent of parental responsibility and accountability regarding the actions of their unsupervised child behind the wheel.

The Legal Basis for Parental Responsibility

Parents have a legal duty to supervise their children, especially teen drivers. When a child’s actions result in harm or death, courts can hold parents accountable if it is proven that they failed to properly supervise their child. Here are some key points to understand:

1. The Duty to Supervise: Parents are expected to exercise reasonable care in preventing foreseeable harm caused by their children. In this case, buying a sports car for an unlicensed and inexperienced teen and then allowing him to drive in violation of his license restrictions was found to be a failure to exercise such care.
2. Foreseeability of Harm: The foreseeability of harm is crucial in determining whether a parent should be held liable. The parents allowed their inexperienced and unlicensed teen to get behind the wheel of a sports car, which is inherently dangerous. The teen and the parents also ignored the restrictions of his junior license, so it was entirely foreseeable that a crash could occur.
3. Legal Precedent: This case held the teen driver’s parents legally responsible for the crash because they put the keys to the car in the teen’s hands and failed to enforce his license restrictions. In short, they failed to prevent foreseeable risks. This case may represent a growing trend to hold parents accountable. It should likewise send a clear message about the importance of parental supervision of teen drivers and the legal consequences of neglecting this duty.

Broader Implications for Parental Responsibility

Regarding this case, the conviction and sentencing of the parents highlight several broader implications regarding parental responsibility. First, parents must be vigilant about their children’s activities, especially those involving potentially dangerous activities like driving. Second, parents should ensure that their teens do not engage in illegal or unsafe behaviors like speeding, racing, or texting while driving. This is crucial to prevent a tragic outcome such as in this case.

Talking to your teens about the risks and legal requirements of driving is essential. Ensure that your teen drivers understand the importance of following the law and the potential consequences of violating it.

Our San Diego Car Accident Lawyers Understand the Law

This case serves as a warning that parents can be held accountable for their teen’s bad driving. It should motivate parents to be more proactive in supervising their teen drivers, thereby ensuring the safety of their children and the broader community.

If you’ve been a victim of a car accident and have suffered injuries as a result, you don’t need to figure out the next steps on your own—an experienced personal injury attorney can help. At Eugene Bruno & Associates, our lawyers have over 40 years of combined experience and a 99.7 percent success rate.

Contact our San Diego car accident attorneys at 1-888-BRUNO-88 (1-888-278-6688) for a FREE consultation today.