Teenager’s apparent horsing around causes car accident injury

A 16-year-old Illinois teenager was injured while apparently horsing around with three other teens and a car. Regarding an automobile as a toy can have devastating consequences. The severity of the car accident injury is unknown, but the boy was rushed to an area hospital from where he was later transferred to Lutheran General Hospital in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge.

According to a report by the St. Charles Police Department, the accident occurred on a recent Saturday afternoon. Witnesses reportedly told officers that the teenager jumped onto the trunk of a passenger car that was being driven by another 16-year-old, with two others — ages 15 and 16 — as passengers in the car. The car apparently pulled off and out of sight of the witness. However, some yelling followed, and the witness went around the corner to see what had happened.

He saw the boy who was on the trunk of the car moments earlier lying on the roadway. The accident is still under investigation because it is not clear whether the teen was thrown from the car or whether he jumped off the trunk. Regardless of the circumstances, the injured victim’s parents most likely will be facing high medical expenses related to his hospitalization and treatment.

The victim and his family can pursue financial relief in an Illinois civil court, but may want to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney. Negligence on the part of the driver will have to be proved, and in a case such as this one, the defendant might claim that the plaintiff was partly responsible for the car accident injury. An attorney can assess the circumstances and explain to the client that the Illinois comparative fault law may come into play. This rule determines that if it is found that a plaintiff’s negligence was responsible for 50 percent or more of the damages, no monetary judgment will be entered. If a victim’s portion of fault was less than 50 percent, his or her damage claim will be reduced by the percentage of his or her own liability.

Source: St. Charles, IL. Patch, “Teen Hospitalized Following Fall from Trunk of Moving Car“, Amie Schaenzer, March 15, 2016