In a ruling that is believed to be the first of its kind, a US judge has handed down a sentence to the parents of a teenager who caused a fatal car accident in New York, even though they weren’t involved in the accident in any way.
Neither parent received actual jail time, but the 40-year-old father was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, while both parents will have to attend a 26-week parenting class as well as a Victim Impact Panel Programme.
According to NBC New York, the teenager, who was 16 years old at the time, was driving a 2005 BMW 325i on a “junior” licence that required him to be accompanied by an adult at all times.
However the court heard that the teen, whose name was withheld due to his age, was regularly permitted to drive on his own in the BMW, which was a gift from his father.
On 17 May 2023, the teen was allegedly driving at a speed of around 160km/h in a 48km/h zone when he lost control of his BMW while changing lanes, causing him to crash into the back of a delivery truck.
His 14-year-old female passenger was tragically killed in the crash after being flung from the vehicle.
The teen driver, who escaped with relatively minor injuries, currently faces charges of manslaughter and reckless endangerment.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz concluded that the parents gave their teenage son a BMW when he did not have the legal authority to drive it.
“We allege that because of the teenager’s actions 14-year-old Fortune Williams is now dead after she was thrown from the car when it crashed into a UPS truck at more than 100 miles per hour,” Katz said.
“Parents who provide vehicles to their children and let them drive illegally can be held responsible in the case of tragedies such as this one.”
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