Young Connecticut driver to blame for fatal car accident?

On night late in May, the quiet of a Connecticut residential street was shattered by the sounds of a horrible collision. A 19-year-old woman was driving an SUV  that left the road at a high rate of speed and struck a tree. Two people lost their lives in the  fatal car accident. The teenager has been charged with two counts of second degree manslaughter. She is also charged with negligent driving and operating an automobile under the influence. 

On the night of the fatal crash, witnesses stated that the young driver smoked marijuana before the accident. Police investigators have estimated that the SUV was traveling at  possibly three times the posted limit of 30 mph before the collision. In addition to the two passengers that were killed, the teenage driver and two other passengers were hurt.. The nature of the injuries suffered was not disclosed. 

The driver has been formally charged and released from police custody, though she must appear in Superior Court in July. Blood tests showed that the woman did have marijuana in her system on the night of the crash. The road where the crash occurred is a busy residential street that is not known to cause problems for most drivers. 

Teen drivers typically experience more than their fair share of car accidents, mostly due to lack of experience. Unfortunately, there are instances such as this Connecticut driver where drug use and apparent recklessness appear to have resulted in two wrongful deaths. Families that have suffered the loss of a loved one as a result of a fatal car accident will be forced to deal with many expenses. Funeral and burial costs can be devastating to mourning family members. Connecticut, like all other states, has resources in place to assist anyone who has been affected by a fatal car accident that is deemed to have been caused by the negligent or reckless acts of another party.

Source: Hartford Courant, “Woman Charged In Deadly South Windsor Crash,” Christine Dempsey and Kelly Glista, June 27, 2013