(WIVB) — The 100 deadliest days for teen drivers are still months away, but there’s already been two fatal crashes in Western New York involving young drivers this year.
The first claimed the lives of two 19-year-olds from Lancaster.
Lancaster Police say the driver, who is also 19, is still in the hospital fighting for his life. The crash is still under investigation and police won’t say if speed was a factor.
“That’s still stuff that’s all being determined by the experts that really look into that stuff,” Lancaster Police Lieutenant Jonathan Ziders said. “They’ll take measurements and look at the impact of the vehicle.”
The second crash involved two 17-year-olds. They died Monday after their vehicle hit a tree on Delaware Road in the Town of Clarence.
Ziders said with the winter breaking and spring around the corner, young drivers need to be extra careful.
“Some of the biggest dangers involving teens generally are speed, distractions, which also includes passengers and reckless driving,” said Ziders.
Local health experts say when helping your teen or young adult with managing their grief, it’s important to listen.
Really encourage your young adults to talk. Really encourage them to talk. If they won’t talk to you, which is sometimes the case, talk to a friend, maybe there’s a group of people who can get together at someone’s house to talk about their feelings in a mini session. If the young adult doesn’t want to talk at all with the parent, maybe go out and buy a journal, and give it to the young adult. And say ‘I know you don’t want to, but write down your feelings and if at any time you want to share that with me, I’m here for you.’ But don’t deny their feelings, that’s huge.”
Dr. Wendy Weinstein, BryLin Behavioral Health System psychiatrist
Angelica Morrison is an award-winning reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. See more of her work here.