When you ride with other people, you put your life in their hands. Likewise, when you allow your children to ride in the car with friends, you are entrusting their friends with your child’s safety. In some cases, everything works out fine. At other times, accidents happen.

According to WABC, two teens were killed recently when the vehicle they were riding in plunged into the Delaware River in New Jersey. The driver, their 18-year-old friend, survived.

The driver says he swerved to avoid colliding with a green vehicle (which has yet to be identified). He lost control of the vehicle, which went down an embankment into the river and was immediately submerged.

The driver was able to climb out of the vehicle and floated to a bank downstream, where he climbed out and went for help. By the time emergency officials arrived, the other two passengers—ages 14 and 19—were dead.

The accident happened off of River Road in Warren County near the Pennsylvania border at about 2:30 a.m. Police are still investigating.

This accident could have happened to anyone—young or old. If someone comes into your lane late at night on a dark road, it would be easy to overcorrect or lose control of your vehicle. You could easily end up in a ditch or a river.

These fatal accidents are particularly difficult to talk about because children are involved. As parents, you want to protect your child, but you also have to allow them some independence. This type of accident is a parent’s worst nightmare, one that is both unexpected and feared.

If you lose a loved one due to the driving errors or fault of another, you could be entitled to compensation through a wrongful death claim. If you have been seriously injured in an accident, you could also be entitled to compensation through an auto accident claim.

While money can’t undo what’s already happened, a claim may help recover some of the costs associated with an accident, and it could offer some peace of mind.

New York and New Jersey Accident Attorneys

The New Jersey and New York accident lawyers of Ginarte Gonzalez & Winograd, LLP are here to help people who have been forced to deal with the consequences of an accident that wasn’t their fault. Contact our offices today for a free consultation at (888) GINARTE.