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Teen Driver Dies One Week After Fatal SUV Crash Kills Mother

By Eddie Farah

There seems to be no end to the tragedy suffered by one Jacksonville family.

Last weekend, the family was vacationing in Orlando when their GMC Yukon SUV suddenly lurched forward in a parking lot, ran through a fence, and plunged nine feet down an embankment into a retention pond, where it landed upside down.

'The driver didn't stop or the vehicle's brakes didn't work,' said Trooper Jorge Dedlahoz at the time.

It later was determined that the driver, Ariel King, 14, was trying to park the large vehicle.

Now Ariel has died. Ariel was on life support in an Orlando hospital. The ninth-grader at Darnell-Cookman Middle /Senior High was described by friends as very sweet and smart.

Five people were in the vehicle, two adults and three children at the time of the crash.

Ariel's mother, Dana King, never made it out of the vehicle. Divers found her some time later. But Ariel, her sister, Brealyn Nesmith, 3, King's fiance, Brandon Nesmith, and his teenage child, Taylor, managed to get out of the vehicle. Brandon and Taylor suffered minor injuries.

Brealyn remains on life support. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of Dana and Ariel. Our prayers are with the little girl.

Many feel that Florida should raise the age for obtaining a driving permit from 15 to 16. Thousands of teens are killed or injured in car accidents every year, so raising the age at which teens can get a license would save many lives, according to a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Nationally, the age teens can drive ranges from just over 14 in South Dakota, to 17 in New Jersey. Most states allow teens to drive unsupervised around the age of 16.

Under Florida law, if you receive six points on your driving record with a permit your driving privileges are automatically restricted to business purposes only until your 18^th birthday or one year, which ever happens first.

Some parents decide on their own that they will delay the beginning of driving for their kids because of their level of maturity.

Meanwhile a candlelight vigil was held for the family members this week at the Jacksonville Landing.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Full post as published by Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer on December 12, 2009 (boomark / email).