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Fatal Accident Aboard Party Bus Leaves Teenager Dead

On Behalf of | Sep 11, 2012 | Wrongful Death

The friends and family of a 16-year-old boy are mourning his death following a fatal accident late last week in Bergen County. The accident took place on Route 95 in Fort Lee as the Queens boy and 64 other teenagers were heading to a sweet 16 party in Garfield.

They teenagers were riding to the party in a double-decker bus when the young man decided to pop the hatch on the roof of the bus and stick his head out. Unfortunately, his head struck the underside of an overpass. He was immediately taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A spokesperson for the company that provided the party bus described the event as a freak and unfortunate accident, one that is difficult to control or prevent when you have a bus full of rowdy teenagers. According to the company, federal law requires the bus to have a hatch like this one as an emergency exit. The company spokesman also noted that while chaperones are not required on the bus, an attendant was provided on the day of the accident.

When someone is killed due to the negligence or misconduct of another, there may be an option to bring a wrongful death lawsuit. In such cases, the suit is brought on behalf of the estate of the deceased or their family. Any damages recovered on behalf of the deceased person’s estate will pass to his or her heirs as indicated by a will or state law.

Sometimes there is nothing anyone could have done to prevent a tragic accident, and no legal action can bring back a life cut short. But when someone’s negligence is responsible for the accident, a wrongful death lawsuit can help the survivors hold the wrongdoers responsible.

Source: NorthJersey.com, “Friends remember teen who died in freak accident on party bus in Fort Lee,” Karen Rouse and Erinn Connor, Sept. 1, 2012

To learn more about this issue, please visit our wrongful death page.

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