Parents have a certain responsibility toward their children until they turn 18. They are meant to keep them safe and guide them in the ways of the world. So, if a teenage driver hits you, you may consider the parents were somehow to blame.
For example:
- They allowed their child to take out a powerful SUV that they did not have enough experience to handle safely.
- They let them drive with friends to a party when everyone knows that teenagers often drink at parties.
- They let the child stay out with the car all night when it is obvious that a lack of sleep will harm anyone’s ability to drive safely.
- They gave the child the keys knowing they did not have a license or were under 16.
Drivers are responsible for their own actions
There are occasions when you can hold someone else to account other than the driver that crashes into you. For example, if a trucking company forces its driver to work to the point that they fell asleep at the wheel and hit you. If a local garage failed to tighten the wheel nuts causing the wheel to come off and the driver to career into you. Or if a brake manufacturer’s product installed on the other vehicle was faulty.
Trying to claim against someone’s parents might be possible in extreme situations, but usually, you can get the compensation you need by claiming against the teenage driver themself. Or rather the insurer that covers the driver. Hopefully, the parents ensured the child had good insurance coverage, yet even then, you may need legal help to get the total amount of compensation you need.