An eight year old boy who was stuck by a car outside of Lincoln Park Elementary School in San Diego  This car accident is one of those terrible events which can occur in the blink of an eye.  Luckily in this pedestrian and auto accident the boy’s most severe injury was a broken foot.

The police were still investigating the cause of the accident and had not officially placed anyone at fault.  Imagine if you had been behind the wheel of the car driving past a busy school and suddenly a child appeared from between the cars.  Is this what happened?  At the moment no one is saying.

If you were the driver your first reaction would be absolute fear.  You would be scared for the child’s safety.  You would begin to panic about your own freedom and safety.  The scariest part of an accident of this type can happen days, weeks, or months later.  You may suddenly discover you are being sued by the child’s parents.  You might even find yourself facing legal charges resulting from the investigation.

Those are not things you will think of in those first moments, but something you should be prepared for.  You might expect your insurance company is going to come to your rescue.  Depending on your coverage they should be paying for the medical bills of the injured child and repairs for your car.  Will they be around if you discover you are being sued?

In many accidents the outcome is much worse.  Children are seriously injured or killed.  This car accident is good reminder of the importance of driving slow around school building during school hours.  Children are not focused on their own safety so we must stay vigilant.

What would you do if this happened to you?  Are you going to defend yourself and trust your insurance company will pay for any and all damages which might be awarded?  Do not count on the insurance company’s support.  They have two concerns in all cases.  First, they want to make sure their company has the lowest expenses possible.  Second, they want to take care of the policy holder.

If you want to be safe you should plan on have legal counsel after any accident, especially when you do not understand all of the details of your insurance policy.  You will want someone on your side who understands how to protect your interests while making sure you do the right thing for the injured child.

Could this accident have been prevented by the driver?  The driver is probably asking themselves this question every moment of the night and day since the accident.  The police investigation should answer the question soon.  The important thing is everyone survived and these details can all be sorted out.  If you are in this position it would be the perfect time to turn it over to your car accident attorney and try to get your life back on track.

California teen drivers are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a car accident than any other demographic in the state. This statistic is also very much reflective of the high percentage of teenage car accident deaths in the United States every day, every month, and every year. However, many of these deaths could be avoided simply by practicing safe driving habits and abiding by the driving laws for the state of California.

Teenagers in California are able to apply for a Driver’s Permit at the age of 15 years and 6 months. Then, after 6 months, teenagers are able to apply and test for a Driver’s License starting at the age of 16. During this 6 month permit-holding period, teenage drivers must abide by a set of guidelines meant to provide a safe and successful period of driving before acquiring a license. For example, permit-holding drivers must be accompanied by a licensed adult any time they go behind the wheel. Furthermore, permitted teens must complete a set number of supervised driving before they test to receive a license. Along with adult supervision during a 6 month period, teen drivers are not allowed to drive any passengers and are expected to uphold the set curfew for all minors (under the age of 18). It has been repeatedly proven that night-time driving increases a driver’s risk for accidents by at least 2 times. Therefore, teen drivers are much more at risk of an accident when disregarding the state curfew.

Unfortunately, with no check-and-balance system that can effectively be carried out with every single permitted-teen driver, often times, teenage drivers will overlook these rules, sometimes out of necessity, and sometimes out of carelessness. As a result of this negligent behavior, the chances of a fairly inexperienced teenage driver ending up in a serious car accident exponentially increases every time they get on the road with a passenger and/or without adult supervision in the car. More so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that teenage drivers are actually much more likely to be involved in a car accident when another teen passenger is in the car as well. In essence, the more teenagers in the car, the higher chance that there could be an accident. Car accident attorney Emery Ledger knows the pressures and distractions that teenagers face when in the car. Unfortunately, this negligent behavior is responsible for increased risk and reckless behavior observed in many teenage driving that has led to automobile and car accidents.

Make sure your teen follows the laws. Just simply by abiding by the given California laws, the accident rate of teen drivers could dramatically decrease in California and, in the aggregate, across the nation.

If your teenager or your loved one has been involved in a car accident please contact the Law Offices of Ledger & Associates. Our firm understands the emotional pain and heartache involved in a car accident, and can help you take care of the legalities involving the case while you focus on you and your family’s quick recovery. For a free and detailed consultation, please call (800) 300-0001 or visit the firm’s website at www.Ledgerlaw.com.