A 14-year-old Andover girl was hit by a car on her way to the bus stop today, Andover police told the Boston Globe. The accident occurred near 200 Andover St. at 7:15 a.m. The girl was sent to Lawrence General Hospital, and her condition is not yet known.
The driver was a 17-year-old girl who has been charged with a school bus violation and impeded operation.
As this news illustrates, car accidents can happen at any given time. You can be on your way to school one minute and be suffering from a serious personal injury the next.
It also raises another common theme in Massachusetts car accidents: teen driver safety (or lack thereof). Teen drivers are uniquely prone to car accidents for many reasons. Inexperience, immaturity, and the sense of invincibility that commonly comes with youth can contribute to accidents involving teen drivers. Teens can also be more susceptible to peer pressure and image concerns and therefore speed, not wear seatbelts, text while driving, or even drink and drive. Because of these and other factors, teenaged drivers frequently find themselves involved in car accidents.
The fact that this teen driver was charged with a school bus violation and impeded operation could indicate that she was negligent or reckless. In Massachusetts, the violation of a statute or ordinance is evidence of negligence where there is a causal connection between the violation and the harm and that kind of harm is the kind that the statute was meant to prevent. Even though this driver is a minor, driving is an adult activity and she will be held to the same standard of care as an adult.
Source: The Boston Globe, Teen struck by vehicle in Andover
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