Teenager Steals SUV and Causes Crash in Jacksonville, Florida
January 18, 2010 – 5:00 amA teenager apparently stole an SUV and crashed into two other vehicles on Edgewood Avenue in Jacksonville, Florida injuring three people according to an article on News4Jax.com. Apparently at least one of the victims was seriously injured as a result of the crash.
The kid whole stole the SUV and caused the crash and resulting injuries was only 14 years old. It is unlikely that he has any money to compensate the victims for their injuries, but like just about every personal injury case, the key is how much insurance coverage is available for the injured victims. When the at-fault driver is a teenager who stole a car and caused injuries, what are the insurance issues? It is unlikely that the teenaged driver has his own insurance policy, although that is always the first place to look. However, his parents or other family member with whom he lives may have insurance that covers him directly or indirectly. So, a personal injury attorney would always look to family members and/or others who live with the teenaged driver to check their insurance policies.
Normally, in Florida the owner of a vehicle involved in a traffic crash is liable for injuries caused as a result of a crash involving his/her vehicle. However, if the owner can show that his/her vehicle was stolen and the driver did not have his/her permission to drive the vehicle when the crash occurred, the owner’s insurance policy would not cover the crash and the owner would not be liable for the damages.
Finally, the injured parties themselves may also look to their own insurance companies for compensation from the crash. Each insured driver has the option of purchasing uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage to cover them if they are injured by a driver who has no insurance or has an insurance policy that does not fully cover the damages. In fact, each person who buys liability auto insurance must specifically be offered uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and decide whether to accept it or reject it. If a person accepts that coverage or is never offered that insurance coverage, he/she will have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage that is available to compensate him/her in the event of a crash where the at-fault driver is uninsured or does not have sufficient insurance coverage to cover the damages from the accident.
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