According to WBRZ, two people are dead after a crash caused by a 14-year-old driver.
Shortly before 2 a.m. Monday, March 23, Louisiana State Police began investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash. The crash occurred on LA 74 west of US 61 in Ascension Parish.
According to a release, 42-year-old Robert Stafford and his passenger 45-year-old Dusty Duet were killed. The initial investigation revealed that the crash occurred as Stafford was traveling eastbound on a 2001 Harley Davidson. At the same time, the 14-year-old was traveling westbound on LA 74 in a 2017 Nissan Versa.
For reasons still under investigation, the 14-year-old crossed into the eastbound lane and struck the motorcycle head-on. The 14-year-old then continued driving westbound and came to a stop after hitting a utility pole.
Stafford and Duet were pronounced dead at the scene. The juvenile sustained moderate injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Impairment is not suspected to be a factor in the crash, according to police.
When are minors legally able to drive?
A person under the age of 18 is considered a minor in Louisiana. Louisiana law provides that upon reaching the age of 15, a minor is allowed to obtain a learners permit. This permit allows the minor to drive a vehicle under the supervision of a licensed driver. Upon turning the age of 16, a minor is allowed to obtain a regular drivers license. This license allows the minor to drive without the supervision of a licensed driver. Learning to drive is an important milestone in a minor’s life. A lot of responsibility is placed on a minor when he is entrusted with driving a vehicle. Sometimes this responsibility is too much for a minor to handle and results in bad decisions that cause injuries to another. When a third party in injured due to the fault of a minor driver this creates a situation whereby parents could be held responsible for their minor child’s negligence.
Who is responsible for damage occasioned by a minor?
Louisiana law provides that the father and the mother are responsible for the damage occasioned by their minor child, who resides with them or who has been placed by them under the care of other persons, reserving to them recourse against those persons. However, this rule is not always clear-cut when the minor’s parents are divorced or separated. Divorced parents who have joint child custody could validly contract, within joint custody implementation plan, to shift responsibility for delictual acts of their minor child to the parent who has physical custody of the child at time the act was committed; such contract is valid only between parents, as parties to contract, by providing right of indemnification and therefore does not eviscerate rights of the injured third party. Usually, the rule of thumb is that the parent, who the minor resides with at the time the damage to another occurs, will be liable for the acts of the minor child. More often than not, a minor who is driving a car or motorcycle will be covered by either his or her own insurance or a parent’s insurance policy. If the minor is not named on a parent’s insurance policy, or if the car the minor is driving is owned by a parent, the parent is liable, which means that you can collect form the parent’s insurance company.
If you have been injured due to the fault of a minor, contact our team today. Whaley Law Firm will work diligently to seek maximum compensation for your injuries. Contact our team for a free consultation.
Sources:
La. CC. art. 2318
WBRZ.com