July 18th 2008

Manchester Teen Dies in Rollover Crash

I read a tragic story about Matthew Sweeney, a 14 year old from Sharon Township, Michigan who died in a rollover car accident Saturday morning.  He was a passenger iside a car driving by his 16 year old friend who lost control of the vehicle on a curvy road.  The vehicle struck an embankment and he was ejected from the car.

All parents worry everytime their teenage children go out driving with their friends and many parents watch their clocks until  their children walk back through the front door at the end of the night.  Everyone fears the nightmare of the late night call from the police with bad news.  In fact, most parents simply hope that the phone will not ring throughout the night.

From a legal perspective, the family of the teenager can file a Michigan wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent driver and the owner of the car.  Even though the boys were friends, a lawsuit would essentially go after the auto insurance policy limits of the other driver and the owner of the car, which is presumably a parent.  A claim for funeral and burial expenses can be made against the auto insurance company in the household of the young decedent.

After a tragedy, these matters are quite sensitive for families of both the driver and the young man who died in the accident.  As a lawyer, you need to be understanding of this issue and move forward with integrity to lessen the impact of the lawsuit.  When I get involved in these cases, I make sure that the family of the decedent understand exactly how the process works and do what ever is necessary to keep the family from re-living the tragedy.

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Posted July 18th 2008 to Car accidents

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