What to Do When Your Teen Driver is Hurt in a Crash in Massachusetts

As a parent, your top priority after an accident involving your child is, understandably, your child. While you focus on helping them through their physical recovery, our attorneys can focus on the financial compensation they deserve for their injuries.

If your teen driver calls you directly after an accident, tell them to hang up and call the police. Officers can ensure they exchange the appropriate information with involved parties and document property damage to your vehicle. Our attorneys can schedule interviews with eyewitnesses, confirm your child’s injuries pass the serious injury threshold, and start calculating your child’s damages from the accident. The bulk of compensable damages may come from medical bills, though car crashes can be traumatizing for young drivers, also entitling them to substantial non-economic damages from liable parties.

You can call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s Massachusetts personal injury lawyers at (617) 925-6407 for a free case review.

What Should You Do if Your Teen Driver is Hurt in a Massachusetts Car Accident?

Getting a call that your teen was hurt in a car crash while driving your vehicle is every parent’s worst nightmare. How you proceed could affect the future compensation claim our lawyers file and the damages you and your child recover.

Document the Scene

If you were in the car with your teen when an accident happened, call the police immediately. If your child calls you from the scene, instruct them to call 911. This will lead to a crash report our attorneys can use when piecing together the accident’s sequences of events and its involved parties. Teen drivers might be understandably shaken up and frightened after accidents, and having law enforcement present can facilitate the exchange of insurance information between drivers and ease victims’ concerns.

Calling 911 can let teen drivers calm down while officers document the scene and take photos. If your child took pictures of property damage to your vehicle, our lawyers will also review them alongside other photographic evidence. When teaching your child how to drive and respond to collisions, tell them the importance of taking photos so they know to do so if you aren’t present after a crash.

Schedule Eyewitness Interviews

Teen drivers reeling from their first car accidents might not think to talk to eyewitnesses at the scene, in which case our lawyers may get this information from the crash report. Talking to eyewitnesses and recording their statements is crucial, practically in cases involving teen drivers. Negligent drivers might attempt to manipulate Massachusetts’ comparative fault rules to evade full liability, arguing that a teen driver was also reckless and contributed to an accident. Eyewitness statements can directly refute such claims by confirming each party’s actions before, during, and after a crash.

When teen drivers cause accidents, those hurt might seek damages from the teen’s parents. Being scared and confused after an accident could make teens misspeak and wrongly accept liability at the scene in front of other involved parties or law enforcement. As a parent with a teen driver, it is important to make them aware of this so that they what not to say if an accident does happen.

Confirm Their Injuries

Teen drivers are typically covered by a parent’s personal injury protection insurance (PIP) when driving. Like any other driver, teens must confirm they pass the serious injury threshold to file lawsuits for all damages after accidents, including pain and suffering. Make sure your child gets immediate medical attention if necessary, as emergency room records can help prove causation in car accident lawsuits.

Victims whose medical damages exceed $2,000 or suffer any injuries listed under Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 231, § 6D may file lawsuits despite Massachusetts being a no-fault state. This is one of the most important aspects of preparing personal injury claims for car crashes, so do not overlook your child’s medical care after a collision.

Calculate Damages

Parents can rely on our attorneys to calculate the damages their families have incurred in car accident cases involving teen drivers. For example, if the parent’s car was damaged during the collision, the lawsuit could cover the cost of repairs or replacement. Furthermore, any medical expenses associated with the teen driver’s injuries, including future expenses, would be covered. We can work with medical experts to outline your child’s treatment plan so we know of all upcoming surgeries, physical therapy sessions, or follow-up appointments that will lead to more expenses.

Teens who suffer especially serious or permanent injuries may be entitled to substantial non-economic damages as well. When assessing these losses, our Massachusetts car accident lawyers may consider the victim’s age and the severity of their condition. For example, sustaining disfiguring burn injuries at a young age could cause great emotional distress for teens. They might experience isolation from peers, post-traumatic stress disorder, bouts of anxiety, and other struggles. To quantify these intangible damages, our lawyers may have teen victims see mental health experts, who can present their findings in court after evaluating victims and their pain and suffering.

Parents who are focused on their child’s physical health after a crash can depend on our attorneys to identify and prove compensable damages on their behalf.

File the Case

Minors can’t file lawsuits without their parents until they turn 18. Though the statute of limitations for car accident claims is two years, it doesn’t begin to count down for teen victims while they are still minors, giving them until age 21 to sue, according to Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 260, § 7. Unnecessarily delaying injury lawsuits for car accidents in Massachusetts could cause many issues, primarily with evidence collection and preservation. We will prioritize your case and ensure it gets filed on time and in the appropriate court.

Call Our Car Accident Attorneys in Massachusetts About Your Case

You can call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s Boston car accident lawyers at (617) 925-6407 to get a free case evaluation.