One Teenager Killed, Two Others Injured in Henry County GA Crash

One teenaged girl was killed and another boy and girl were injured in a Henry County car accident Wednesday afternoon.  Police are speculating that the teens were possibly racing or at least driving recklessly before the accident.

All three of the teens were students at Dutchtown High School and were traveling in a Nissan Maxima on Pates Creek Road when the crash happened around 3:40PM.

The car went off the road, hit a ditch, turned over, and landed in a yard on Pates Creek Road.  All of the kids were thrown from the car.  Jasmine Poole, age 16, died at the site of the crash.  Police have determined she had not been the one driving.

The other two students that had been in the car were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.

Police interviewed witnesses and were told that maybe as many as 8 vehicles, including the crashed Nissan, had been driving dangerously and could have been racing.

The accident occurred in Stockbridge, just two miles from Dutchtown High School.  Police have said they do not believe alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States.  In 2010 alone, 7 teenagers aged 16-19 were killed EVERY day and almost 282,000 required treat-and-release hospital visits, due to motor vehicle crashes.  Young people 15-24 only represent 14% of the US population BUT they account for 30% (or $19 BILLION) of the total cost of car crashes.

Teenagers are likely to not realize the dangers of some road situations or may be unable to recognize them as well as older, more experienced drivers.  That being said, they are more likely to drive faster and follow other cars too closely.  In a survey completed in 2011 24% of teenagers reported that within the prior month they had been in a car with another teen driver that had been drinking alcohol, and 8% said they had driven a car after drinking alcohol within the same one-month time frame.

Talk to your teenager about safe driving.  Remind them often that driving is a PRIVILEGE in Georgia, not a right and they should always drive safely.

If you or your teen driver have been charged with DUI in Henry County Georgia, reckless driving, or any other traffic-related offense, call the Law Offices of Richard Lawson.  An experienced attorney is ready to take your call day or night, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.