NE - 4 Teenage Girls Die in Fiery Single Vehicle Automobile Crash, 5th Burned, Gretna, 17 June 2019

[TDoc72]

Just now joining this sad, sad thread. Hundreds of young students, parents of many students, teachers, townspeople, etc., are surely crying and shocked that this horrible accident occurred to these amazing young girls. It takes my breath away...

A big Thanks, @Snick1946, for the Google map -- I have been trying to locate that spot with no luck.

BBM
this horrible completely preventable accident IMO

 

[borndem]

Sarpy County officials identify 4 victims in Gretna crash along with survivor

Press conference today; they have 'persons of interest' under investigation in giving the kids alcohol.

A TV story this evening on local TV indicated authorities are running into barriers from the families of kids they want to interview.

I have a few suspicions that I'm not posting.

OMG -- See this quote in the article above:

"The teenagers were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, officials said."

I have no words...

 

[Rocky1]

Hard NO from me. It’s not the road’s or city’s fault that their kids were drinking, speeding and not wearing seatbelts. I’m sure that people who aren’t driving drunk and/or speeding navigate the road safely all the time. I do feel sorry for their loss. But they shouldn’t get a dime.

I didn't expect this.
What I did expect was a lawsuit against the city due to the teens consuming alcohol on school property.

 

[borndem]

Here's another article about the claim.
I've very mixed feelings about this -- but I have no idea if this highway area where the accident occurred is one that has caused bad accidents or deaths, etc. in the past.
In many states, counties and cities, accident and crash statistics are kept on roadways, intersections, bridges, speed limits, etc. When a location is seen to be dangerous or risky, etc., the PTB make decisions to lessen the risk if deemed necessary -- that means a stop sign, traffic light, additional lanes, speed limit change, shoulder maintenance, traffic pattern change, etc., etc. is set for action. I would think that this is done in all states, counties and cities, but I have no idea.

I feel sure the attorneys for both sides of this claim are buried in such statistics at this very moment (well at least after the holiday...).
A case like this could go on for years.

-----------------------------​

Parents of four Gretna girls killed in crash file tort claim against Sarpy County

The parents of four Gretna High School teenagers who were killed in a crash last year have filed a tort claim against Sarpy County, alleging that poor roadway design and “negligent, reckless” actions by the county contributed to their daughters’ deaths.
[...]
The girls’ parents allege that Platteview Road near the crash site, as well as a guardrail along the south side of the road, were “negligently designed, engineered, constructed and/or maintained,” according to the claim.

The claim was delivered to the county June 12, days before the one-year anniversary of the girls’ deaths.

The parents also allege that the county failed to warn motorists of the dangerous nature of the road and failed to prevent or mitigate crashes.

------------------------​

More here:
Parents of four Gretna girls killed in crash file tort claim against Sarpy County

 

[borndem]

Hard NO from me. It’s not the road’s or city’s fault that their kids were drinking, speeding and not wearing seatbelts. I’m sure that people who aren’t driving drunk and/or speeding navigate the road safely all the time. I do feel sorry for their loss. But they shouldn’t get a dime.

I totally agree. Why would they file a claim like that? Don't they know that they will hear those very same arguments when their claim is examined?? One more argument would be the age and experience of the driver coupled with the distraction of the other girls in the car -- laughing, joking, etc.

 

[Erika234]

Winning such a case for parents is unrealistic. Considering that there was alcohol, it is hard to blame the county. I read a lot of similar stories at https://samploon.com/free-essays/underage-drinking/ when I wrote an essay on that topic and unfortunately, this is most likely a way for parents to justify this situation for themselves in order to alleviate the severity of the loss. But it is impossible to win this case, underage kids driving under influence it's an obvious case. And that's why you do not provide alcohol to underage kids.

 

[Rocky1]

Winning such a case for parents is unrealistic. Considering that there was alcohol, it is hard to blame the county. I read a lot of similar stories at https://samploon.com/free-essays/underage-drinking/ when I wrote an essay on that topic and unfortunately, this is most likely a way for parents to justify this situation for themselves in order to alleviate the severity of the loss. But it is impossible to win this case, underage kids driving under influence it's an obvious case. And that's why you do not provide alcohol to underage kids.

What about if those underage drinkers were consuming alcohol on school property? Do you think the school would be responsible? If not, why not?
I know if underage kids are drinking at a house, even if the parents are not home, and something happens to them, they are still responsible in my state.

 

[TDoc72]

If the school provided alcohol or they were openly drinking it in the cafeteria, then yes. But if they drove there after hours (like sitting in the parking lot on a Saturday night), then I don’t think so. It would really depend on the circumstance.
Still mad the parents are suing and hope they lose.

 

[Kakidoll]

I honestly don't get the thought process of parents trying to make a buck off their kids once they KNOW they are at fault. I think many times it a 'if we can blame someone else, it makes us feel less guilty' and they can play the blame game, and then move on with their lives feeling 'vindicated'. If money makes up for the loss of your child, IMO you probably didn't take much responsibility in the RAISING of your child, when something like this happens. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY has gone out the window the last 30 or so years. MOO and yes, i'm harsh.

 

[killarney rose]

I hope the parents lose. This is just a sad case of kids making wrong choices and sadly paying with their lives.
Just like the case of the girls in Geneva last year. That one was local to me. Just some girls out having fun, laughing and unfortunately they weren’t careful. They went speeding over the levee, lost control, and hit the tree while not wearing seatbelts. No alcohol involved. It’s unfair they had to pay for a bad decision with their lives, but no one was at fault to sue by grieving parents.
In this case the parents need to stop looking for someone else to blame, accept that their daughters made bad choices and try to move on. A horrible tragedy.

 

[branmuffin]

I never drank alcohol until I was 20. My parents rarely had alcohol at home; when they did it would be for an occasion like Christmas or Easter or something. It could hang around for ages, too. It wasn't that I was a goody two-shoes, I got into plenty of hair raising adventures like climbing a water tower for a lark. If I'd been drinking, I doubt I'd be here to tell the tale.

One thing I remember as a young teenager, maybe 14 or 15, was at my best friend's house when her parents had a big party. Lots of our contemporaries' parents were there and most were loaded. It was unnerving for me as a young girl to see people I'd met at school being perfectly proper weaving all over the place laughing raucously. I said to my best friend, 'I thought parents were supposed to protect us? They're too drunk to deal with anything!'

A lot of these parents, when I got a bit older like 17 or 18, were the very same parents who would go to the cottage for the weekend or to Bermuda for a week, sans kids, but would leave booze or a couple of cases of beer for the kids. The general logic was, 'at least they are home, I don't have to worry about them getting drunk and driving home'. But their kids weren't drinking that booze all by themselves; their friends were coming over to a parent-free home to party.

I think there are a lot of parents like that around today. They rationalize their choices regarding the freedom they give their kids because the reason they do it, is they don't want to give up their freedoms.

About the lack of seatbelts worn by the five girls involved in the accident. I too, thought, that in this day and age, it would have been an automatic response. These kids have been conditioned to buckle up from a young age, first car seats then booster seats, then fastening their own seatbelts in the family car. They get to a certain age, though, and it becomes goofy or uncool to wear a seatbelt. With so little to rebel about these days, it's a small victory to be outside the curve.

The worst part of this tragedy is that it has become unremarkable because of the sheer number of deaths of teenagers involved in alcohol related accidents.

LE have a responsibility to the public to pursue justice for those who died. I read some tweets of some of the deceased and their friends and get a vibe that they partied unless it was all bravado. Inasmuch the driver of the vehicle was impaired, I do put quite a bit of the responsibility onto the parents.

Setting House Rules

It's obvious that the basic guidelines for teen drivers and passenger safety weren't adhered to. Those basics being no peer passengers, no driving at night, no driving while impaired, wearing your seatbelt. Nothing draconian, just plain common sense. Your children aren't your friends. It's okay that they hate you sometimes for being a parent. Or as my daughter said many times, you're the meanest mother in the whole wide world.

The lawsuit filed against the county by the parents is a classic example of passing the buck. It deserves to be tossed.

 

[LadyL]

I'm trying to figure out why this thread is in 'crimes - spotlight on children' forum?

 

[IceIce9]

I feel like parents sue in these situations in an attempt to deflect the blame from themselves and their children. MOO.

A tragedy nonetheless. An opportunity for parents and teens to learn from this tragic crash.

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

I'm trying to figure out why this thread is in 'crimes - spotlight on children' forum?

Possibly they were still legally children?

 

[JerseyGirl]

Civil trial date set in deadly crash that killed four teen-age girls

Earlier this year News Channel Nebraska reported the judge in the case ruled that a potentially damaging and expensive lawsuit can move forward. Also, a News Channel Nebraska exclusive investigation h

www.newschannelnebraska.com

Three years after a controversial 1-car wreck took the lives of four teen-age girls and injured a fifth, a trial date in a case of who’s-to-blame has been set.

And it’s another year away: The accident was June 17, 2019, the trial scheduled for April 17, 2023.

 

[PrairieWind]

It will be interesting to see if this does end up going to trial. Personally, I think the parents' claims are ridiculous.

 

[wendybtn]

I never drank alcohol until I was 20. My parents rarely had alcohol at home; when they did it would be for an occasion like Christmas or Easter or something. It could hang around for ages, too. It wasn't that I was a goody two-shoes, I got into plenty of hair raising adventures like climbing a water tower for a lark. If I'd been drinking, I doubt I'd be here to tell the tale.

One thing I remember as a young teenager, maybe 14 or 15, was at my best friend's house when her parents had a big party. Lots of our contemporaries' parents were there and most were loaded. It was unnerving for me as a young girl to see people I'd met at school being perfectly proper weaving all over the place laughing raucously. I said to my best friend, 'I thought parents were supposed to protect us? They're too drunk to deal with anything!'

A lot of these parents, when I got a bit older like 17 or 18, were the very same parents who would go to the cottage for the weekend or to Bermuda for a week, sans kids, but would leave booze or a couple of cases of beer for the kids. The general logic was, 'at least they are home, I don't have to worry about them getting drunk and driving home'. But their kids weren't drinking that booze all by themselves; their friends were coming over to a parent-free home to party.

I think there are a lot of parents like that around today. They rationalize their choices regarding the freedom they give their kids because the reason they do it, is they don't want to give up their freedoms.

About the lack of seatbelts worn by the five girls involved in the accident. I too, thought, that in this day and age, it would have been an automatic response. These kids have been conditioned to buckle up from a young age, first car seats then booster seats, then fastening their own seatbelts in the family car. They get to a certain age, though, and it becomes goofy or uncool to wear a seatbelt. With so little to rebel about these days, it's a small victory to be outside the curve.

The worst part of this tragedy is that it has become unremarkable because of the sheer number of deaths of teenagers involved in alcohol related accidents.

LE have a responsibility to the public to pursue justice for those who died. I read some tweets of some of the deceased and their friends and get a vibe that they partied unless it was all bravado. Inasmuch the driver of the vehicle was impaired, I do put quite a bit of the responsibility onto the parents.

Setting House Rules

It's obvious that the basic guidelines for teen drivers and passenger safety weren't adhered to. Those basics being no peer passengers, no driving at night, no driving while impaired, wearing your seatbelt. Nothing draconian, just plain common sense. Your children aren't your friends. It's okay that they hate you sometimes for being a parent. Or as my daughter said many times, you're the meanest mother in the whole wide world.

The lawsuit filed against the county by the parents is a classic example of passing the buck. It deserves to be tossed.

You said it perfectly!

 

[branmuffin]

There is still no update regarding the civil trial brought by the parents of the deceased teens. It was scheduled for April 17, 2023. I wonder if Covid caused a backlog of civil trials.

 

[borndem]

Covid certainly put our court cases here in NC to a turtle's pace. I have read that Covid slowed essentially all courts -- both county and Federal.