Around 4:15 a.m. on Saturday October 21, a three-car crash took place on the westbound Cross Bronx between Third Avenue and the Bronx River Parkway when a teen driver lost control of his vehicle.

Various news outlets reported about the accident, including ABC 7 , which described the teen driver speeding and weaving through traffic until he reached a halt in traffic and was unable to stop. Teen driver, Carlos Pereyra Batista struck the rear end of a tractor-trailer and then Batista’s 2002 Honda Accord smashed into a guardrail, bounced off it and collided into a Toyota RAV4 before rolling to a stop in the westbound lane. Eighteen-year-old Batista died at the scene of the crash. His 17-year-old male passenger was in critical condition and emergency personnel transported him to St. Barnabas Hospital. He was upgraded to stable condition and expected to survive.

The tractor-trailer driver, a 66 year-old-man was not injured and neither was the 29-year-old man driving the Toyota. They remained at the accident scene until police arrived.

It is a tremendous tragedy when a teenager dies in a car crash. You think the young person has his whole life ahead of him and then within moments he is gone. Such tragedies are felt deeply and especially by the families. The NY Daily News reported that Batista’s family ran a Dominican food stand in Mott Haven and he was often there helping them. The family was devastated when they arrived at the accident scene.

As of October 19, traffic accidents have claimed the lives of 23 drivers in 2017, which is a 12 percent decrease from 2016, when 26 drivers died in car crashes.

Teens and Teen Driver Car Accidents

Teenagers are more at risk for dying in car accidents than from any other cause of death. The 16-19 year old age group is about three times more likely to be in a fatal crash than drivers who are 20 years and older.

For Serious and Fatal Car Crashes Seek Legal Help

When someone else is a fault in a serious injury or fatal accident, you have the legal right to pursue compensation for damages. Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP offers a free consultation to discuss your accident and determine whether you have grounds for pursuing compensation.