On March 13, USA Today reported the tragic story of five teenagers killed in a fiery car wreck on Sunday in a town 45 miles north of Amarillo Texas. The teens were in a Chevy pickup truck, which ran a stop sign. Their truck was then hit on the passenger side by a fuel tanker, leading to a fiery crash.

The five teenagers were killed at the accident scene. The driver of the fuel tank suffered burns over 90 percent of his body and was listed in critical condition. The accident, which caused so much loss, is a sad reminder of the dangers that teen drivers face. Unfortunately, as our San Antonio, TX auto accident lawyers know, there are thousands of deaths of young drivers each year. In fact, auto accidents are the top cause of death for 15-19 year olds.

Tankers, tractor-trailers and other large commercial vehicles continue to increase the risk of traffic collisions in San Antonio and the surrounding area.

The Collision with the Fuel Tanker

According to the USA Today, the teens’ vehicle ran the stop sign and collided with the fuel tanker. A Public Safety spokesman indicated that he did not yet know where the young people were going when the accident happened. He also indicated that the investigation was still underway into the accident and how the events unfolded.

Unfortunately, this accident was likely made so much worse because it involved a fuel tank. Fires as a result of auto accidents are very common, with a 2008 report by the  U.S. Fire Administration indicating that as many as 258,500 car fires occurred on highways between 2004 and 2006. The tanker truck gave fuel to the fire, resulting in a dramatic fiery blaze that killed the teens and seriously injured the tanker driver who now has burns on 90 percent of his body.

Burn injuries can be classified into degrees, with first degree burns the most mild and fourth degree burns often fatal. In any accident where serious burn injuries occur, permanent disfigurement is possible and expensive and difficult medical treatment may be necessary.

Tragically, the driver of the tanker will now be coping with the consequences of those burn injuries, including disfigurement. His losses and pain were a direct result of the collision.

Urging Kids to be Safer Drivers

As this Texas accident shows, the consequences of a teen making a bad driving choice can be far reaching and many lives can be shattered. All possible steps should be taken to avoid teen car accidents, including parents talking to their children regularly about safe driving behavior.

One major issue that increases the chances of teen accidents is when there are multiple passengers in the car with the teen driver. In this case, the driver had four friends in the vehicle.

It is too easy for young and inexperienced drivers to pay attention to their friends, or to be encouraged in dangerous behavior by their friends in the car. This significantly increases the risk of an accident occurring. As such, to help keep their kids safe, parents may wish to impose restrictions on the number of friends in the car with an unsupervised young driver.

If you’ve been injured in an accident, contact the Herrera Law Firm at 800-455-1054 for a confidential consultation.