The new teen driving laws for the state of Pennsylvania took effect last month, and we discussed the merits of the law shortly before it was enacted. Pennsylvania is trying to make roads safer by having increased training time for young drivers. Decreasing the number of car accidents is the goal, and by giving teen drivers more experience behind the wheel, we may ultimately see safer streets.

However, a fatal car accident in Philadelphia reminds us that road safety has not reached such a utopian ideal quite yet. On January 4, a 20-year-old man was driving his new car and was carrying two teenage passengers. He crashed into a few concrete barriers before flipping his car over, and all three people in the car were killed from the wreck.

Allegedly the man was speeding, and two of the three who were killed did not wear a seat belt, including the 20-year-old driver. It had been just six months since the man received his license.

The force of the car accident was so great that it ripped three tires off the vehicle. Few other details were released about the car accident, as police continue to investigate. It is possible that the 20-year-old had been drinking or that he was negligent behind the wheel. Maybe he was chatting with his passengers, changing the radio station or checking his cell phone.

But the man's father refuted such a claim. "My son usually drove two or three miles under the speed limit," he said. "He was a very careful driver."

Should new information be revealed indicating that the driver was negligent, the families of the deceased passengers could file wrongful death suits. A wrongful death suit will not bring your loved one back, but you deserve fair and just compensation for the pain and suffering you deal with from such a traumatic event.

Source: PhillyBurbs.com, "Bensalem man involved in triple fatal crash was new driver (video)," Jo Ciavaglia, Jan. 6, 2012