3-car accident kills 16-year-old in New York state

A tragic accident claimed the life of a 16-year-old boy in Cicero in the early morning of Oct. 3, according to local authorities. Central New York police responded to the fatal car accident just after 6:30 a.m. Police are still in the process of determining what caused the crash, and they have not yet filed charges against anyone involved. 

The accident report confirms that a 16-year-old boy was headed northbound on Interstate 81 when the accident occurred. For reasons not yet known, his vehicle crossed the grassy median into the southbound lanes, where it collided head-on with another vehicle. His car was then struck by a van. 

The 16-year-old and his passenger, another 16-year-old boy, were both rushed to a local hospital in Syracuse. The passenger was pronounced dead later that day, and the driver is still listed as being in critical condition. The driver of the other car is listed as in stable condition as of this report, and there was no word on whether the driver of the van was injured. The crash is still under investigation at this time. 

It will be up to New York police to determine what caused the boy to lose control of the vehicle. If it is determined he was operating the car in a negligent or reckless fashion, or if he was intoxicated at the time of the car accident, the family of the deceased passenger would have grounds to file a wrongful death suit against the boy’s family and anyone with ownership interest in the vehicle. Such a suit does not require police to file a criminal charge against the boy. 

Source: argus-press.com, “Cops: Central NY boy, 16, killed in 3-vehicle crash on I-81”, Oct. 4, 2016