Teen driving accidents in DeLand can leave victims dealing with unexpected injuries, mounting medical bills, and an uncertain path to recovery. Whether a young driver struck your vehicle or another party harmed your own teenager in a collision, the legal and financial aftermath can be difficult to manage without support.
When a crash involves a teen driver, figuring out how to proceed is rarely straightforward. At Rue & Ziffra, our experienced team is proud to be your local car crash attorneys. We can help you understand your options, handle communication with insurance companies, and work toward compensation that reflects the full scope of your losses.
Teen drivers carry a higher collision risk than virtually any other group on the road. In and around DeLand, where busier corridors meet residential stretches with rapidly changing traffic conditions, inexperienced teenage drivers are more likely to cause a serious wreck. Their limited experience, poor hazard recognition, and distraction from passengers and mobile devices contribute to this elevated collision rate, as does their tendency to underestimate danger.
The state’s graduated driver license program, established under Florida Statutes § 322.091, restricts new drivers under 18 with nighttime curfews, passenger limitations, and a requirement to log 50 hours of supervised driving before earning a full license. Teens who have violated these restrictions at the time of an accident create additional grounds for a negligence claim. We can investigate the circumstances of your collision to establish who should be held responsible.
When a teen driver causes an accident in DeLand, they are often at fault. However, depending on how the crash occurred, state law allows additional parties to be held liable as well.
Under Fla. Stat. § 322.09, a parent or legal guardian who signs a minor’s driver’s license application accepts joint and several liability for damages their child’s negligent driving has caused. If a third party voluntarily entrusts a teen with their vehicle and the teen causes a crash, the state’s dangerous instrumentality doctrine holds the vehicle owner responsible for the resulting harm. In such a case, you may be able to file a separate claim against that owner.
At Rue & Ziffra, our team carefully examines every available avenue of liability to identify all responsible parties.
If you live in DeLand and sustained injuries in a teen driving collision, recovery begins under the state’s no-fault system. Your own personal injury protection coverage applies first, covering up to $10,000 in medical expenses and lost wages, provided you seek treatment within 14 days of the crash. In the event that your injuries are serious enough, such as a permanent injury or significant scarring, you may pursue damages outside of the no-fault system.
Under Fla. Stat. § 768.81, you can still recover so long as your allocation of fault does not exceed 50 percent, though your award will be reduced proportionally. Recoverable losses often include:
As the full impact of your injury may not be immediately apparent, working with our firm early helps ensure your claim includes all your losses.
Teen driving accidents in DeLand deserve focused legal attention and a team that genuinely cares about your outcome. At Rue & Ziffra, we have spent more than 50 years protecting the rights of injured people.
We are also proud to support teen driver safety through our partnership with a NASCAR-affiliated teen safety driving school because we believe protecting people begins before a crash ever happens. When a collision does occur, we are in your community and on your side. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
Rue & Ziffra – Your Trusted Personal Injury Lawyers
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