Teen Killed in Crash on I-10
A San Antonio Jefferson High School student “was killed this past weekend after his car was struck by an 18-wheeler on his drive home from the Matador Relays,” according to KGNB.am News. The Relays are a track and field event. The accident happened with the 18-year-old was driving home on Westbound I-10. The high school senior, Alex Omstead, “reportedly crossed the center median, went through the cable barricade, and crossed into oncoming traffic in the eastbound lanes.” Omstead’s car was then struck by an 18-wheeler, killing the teen on impact. Investigators are trying now to figure out why his car was able to cross the barricades, but no further information has yet been released.
According to WritingShares.com, the truck driver is not being charged in the accident, as Olmstead’s car entered the wrong lane of traffic and “there was no time to act to avoid an accident.”
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.” Seven teenagers between 16 and 19 died every day in 2010 due to motor vehicle injuries, and “per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older to be in a fatal crash.” Most teen motor vehicle crashes are preventable—as Omstead’s likely was. The motor vehicle death rate for teenage boys is almost two times that for girls. “Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes in 2010,” according to the CDC, “39 percent were speeding at the time of the crash and 25 percent had been drinking.” There was no speculation in the news as to whether Omstead had been drinking at the time of crash.
If you or someone you know has been involved in an accident—whether or not someone in the car was fatally wounded—you may be eligible for compensation. Don’t go through it alone. Contact a dedicated New Braunfels accident attorney today.
