A single-vehicle car accident left one teenager dead and two others injured in western Missouri. Initial reports suggest that the driver was “hill-hopping” before losing control of the vehicle, causing it to overturn and roll.
Car Accident Kills One, Injures Two
The incident happened on the night of Friday, October 28, 2016, in Oak Grove, Missouri, 30 miles east of Kansas City and 75 miles southeast of St. Joseph, Missouri.
17-year-old Peyton Farley, from Lenexa, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, was driving along Jim Owings Road when she lost control of the vehicle just before midnight. The car overturned and rolled down a hill, killing her and injuring her two friends who were also in the car – a 19-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl.
Both of the injured teenagers were rushed to the hospital, where they are listed in stable condition.
Hill-Hopping a Possible Cause of the Crash
Initial police reports suggest that hill-hopping was likely the cause of the car accident.
Hill-hopping, also known as hill jumping, involves speeding up a hill, only to gun the engine even more for an extra burst of speed just before reaching the crest. The additional speed at the end can make the car go airborne over the top of the hill.
Always a staple of professional rally car racing, hill-hopping became popular with thrill-seeking teen drivers for the rush of adrenaline that comes with the speed and airtime. However, without specialized rally cars that are built to withstand the weight of a hard landing, teens are often surprised to find their cars difficult to control after hitting the ground. Even if the car isn’t damaged, the excess speed, the downward slope of the hill, and the hard jolt inside the vehicle are often too much for an inexperienced driver to handle, typically resulting in a rollover.
Injured Passengers Have Legal Options
Whenever a driver takes such a huge risk at the wheel and ends up hurting other passengers in the car, those passengers might have a right to get compensation for their personal injuries from the driver. After all, it was the driver who put them at risk and caused their pain and suffering, when they should have been obeying the rules of the road and ensuring the safety of everyone else in their car.
St. Joseph Personal Injury Attorneys at Smith Law
Car accidents are one of the most common situations where someone gets hurt because of someone else’s negligence or poor decision making. It’s scenarios like these that make personal injury lawsuits crucial, because they allow you to get the compensation that you need to make a full recovery from those who caused your injuries.
If you were a passenger in someone else’s car and the driver was negligent or purposefully put you in danger, you may be able to get compensation for the injuries that they caused. The best way to make this happen is to hire a skilled personal injury and car accident attorney, like those at the Smith Law Office, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Contact us online or at (816) 875-9373.