When you first get behind the wheel as a teenager, the experience can be both exciting and nerve-racking. You feel as though you’re officially not a kid anymore and are excited about the freedom you’ll gain once you finally obtain your driver’s license. There can also be a sense of fear as you realize you’re in control of a machine that weighs thousands of pounds and has the capacity to cause damage to structures and people.
One young student driver in Maryland got a scare and an early lesson of what can happen on the road. Though it wasn’t his fault, the car accident is likely to stay with him for as long as he holds a license.
The crash happened last week in Anne Arundel County. A 53-year-old woman was driving behind the 16-year-old student driver’s car and rear-ended it near an intersection. The car continued on and collided with a second vehicle, splitting it in half.
The driver whose car hit the two others suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, as was the passenger of the young driver. Suffering the most critical injuries was the driver whose car was split in two.
The crash is still under investigation, and while alcohol didn’t play a role, the driver could be held liable for the other people’s injuries. If the passenger of the driving student was working as an instructor at the time, she could be eligible for workers’ compensation.
And the 16-year-old himself? He wasn’t injured, but as a new driver, he may have been shaken after the car was hit. If anything positive is to result from this crash, perhaps it’s that he’ll remember how quickly accidents can happen.
Source: Baltimore Sun, “3 injured in crash near Londontowne,” Steve Kilar, Dec. 3, 2011
