One of the most distressing consequences of a car accident involving a college student is the likelihood of a traumatic brain injury, cites Sansone & Lauber. A sudden strong jolt to the head or any force that penetrates or fractures the skull can cause a TBI. A severe brain injury can cause long-lasting or disabling damage to the victim’s physical and cognitive abilities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says motor vehicle crashes and traffic-related incidents result in the largest percentage of TBI-related deaths (31.8 percent). Car, motorcycle and truck accidents are the second-leading cause of TBI overall, after falls.
Of course, it’s not only the college-age driver who can be hurt in a car accident. Often it is a passenger in the student’s car, another driver, or, particularly on or around campus, a pedestrian or bicyclist.
In car accidents involving drivers younger than 21 in Missouri in 2012, 136 people were killed in 124 fatal crashes and 12,806 people were injured in 8,221 personal-injury crashes, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
What those who have suffered TBI, or their loved ones, should keep in mind is that a college student undertakes a major responsibility for having a car, and should be held accountable if he or she causes an accident. Those who have been injured because of reckless or negligent behavior – such as drunk driving, drowsy driving or distracted driving – should be made whole financially.
If a college student who is not yet 21 years old was drinking and driving and caused an accident, the injured party might be able to seek compensation from a third party responsible for supplying alcohol to an underage driver.