After a crash late Saturday night, Nina Sanchez, 18, told Pearland police that she had been at a graduation party and that she had lost control of her car and didn’t know what she hit. Police found Sanchez and her fatally injured passenger, Jasmine Quinones, 17, at a crash scene that included several vehicles. The cluster of vehicles was gathered in the 10000 block of Hughes Ranch Road at Harrington around a Honda Accord that had overturned in a ditch.

Young Jasmine Quinones had been partially ejected from Sanchez’s vehicle and died at the scene of the tragic crash. Nina Sanchez has been charged with intoxication manslaughter, a 2nd-degree felony punishable by up to $10,000 in fines and up to 20 years in state prison upon conviction. (Source: khou.com, 1/14/13)

The Pearland car crash attorneys at Denena Points, PC express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Jasmine Quinones.

Teen Drivers more at Risk for Drunken Driving Accidents than Adults

A study published in Public Health 109 reported that young people ages 15 to 20 experience a higher risk of having car accidents than drivers of other age groups. This is because driving is a complex task requiring drivers to respond accurately to the constantly changing conditions and stimuli around them. Our Pearland car crash attorneys emphasize that any sort of impairments, including medications, illness, injury, fatigue, alcohol, drugs, or distraction, can significantly alter response times and accuracy while behind the wheel.

Teen drivers have not yet built up the body of driving knowledge and experience that helps them cope with the complexities of driving. And if they combine their inexperience with driving with inexperience with drinking, you have a recipe for disaster. The study in Public Health cited some of the routine factors contributing to teens’ higher risk of a crash:

• Driving inexperience.
• Immaturity.
• A greater tendency to engage in high-risk behaviors like speeding.
• Tendencies to underestimate the dangerous consequences of high risk
• Behaviors.
• Tendencies to also overestimate their driving skill.

Our Pearland car crash attorneys point out that even at low to moderate blood alcohol content (BAC) levels, teen drivers have a substantially higher risk of causing a fatal crash than drivers aged 21 and over that have similar BAC levels. Learn some of the things that you can do to help keep your teen safe out on the road. Read the article linked to this post.

And don’t hesitate to contact our Pearland car crash attorneys if you have questions about a serious injury accident that’s harmed you or your family. We’re available at 281-369-4363 or through our online contact form for a free, no obligation legal consultation to discuss your case and answer your urgent questions.

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