Parents of teen killed in Richmond-area crash go forward with suit

A wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the parents of a 14-year-old girl killed in a Richmond-area crash in 2004 will go forward, The Associated Press reported.

The girl was supposed to be sleeping over at a friend’s house but instead ended up a passenger in a recklessly-driven car – a car that crashed, killing the young teen. The family sued the friend’s parents in Henrico County District Court, accusing them of not caring for their child when they should have. The key question, the Virginia Supreme Court said in a November ruling, is “whether adults who agree to supervise and care for a child owe a duty to exercise reasonable care in the supervision and care of that child.”

The hosting family allegedly invited the young teen over for the night; the girl’s parents agreed but said “no boys with cars.”

A Henrico County judge threw out the case, but the Virginia Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the case should be decided on its merits.

The night of the crash, the young teen went to the movies at an area mall. Afterwards, she was driven home not by the adults but by a 17-year-old. According to court papers, the girl texted her father that she was scared as the young man drove 80 miles an hour on a twisty two-lane road. The young man accidentally went off the road, the AP reported, and hit a tree. The young teen died the following day.