By: Tragedy struck this past Memorial Day 2013 when five teenagers were killed in a horrific single car accident on a downhill stretch of Jamboree Road in Newport Beach. The accident occurred just after 5 p.m. Monday night after the driver, 17 year-old Abdulrahman M. Alyahyan, a University High student, lost control of his 2008 Infiniti sedan and hit a tree, which ripped the car in half. Four of the five passengers were thrown from the car. What was left then caught on fire. Police say that speed, possibly 100 mph, was a major factor in the crash. The other four victims, all Irvine High School students, were sisters Robin and Aurora “Christine” Carbrera (17 and 16 years-old respectively), 17 year-old Nozad Al Hamawendi, and 17 year-old Cecilia D. Zamora. Robin Cabrera was a senior about to finish high school. There was a sixth student who was also supposed to be in the car but decided not to go at the last minute.
Records show that Alyahyan had received a citation in April for violating his provisional license and did not even have a learners permit at the time of the crash. The citation had listed a license number, but that only corresponded to an application for a license. He had also been pulled over for having illegal modifications to the exhaust system of his car and tinted windows that obstructed the driver’s view. The crash occurred less than a mile from where the co-owner of TapouT clothing was killed after being struck by a Porsche traveling at 100 MPH back in 2009. City officials say that the fact that the road is generally straight and in good condition, it is attractive to those drivers who want to go fast. Friends of the Irvine High School victims described them as happy and always nice to everybody.
When drivers act carelessly and negligently, terrible tragedies such as this one occurred. The deaths of these teenagers could have been avoided if the driver had been driving responsibly. And while money will not bring back these children to their families, they are entitled to receive monetary compensation for the loss of their children due to wrongful death.
Good diligent counsel is essential to help families understand their rights and the steps they must take following a loved one’s death due to wrongful death. The Newport Beach wrongful death attorneys at the Roberts Law Firm serve as counselors and advisors to families going through unfortunate tragedies involving the loss of a family member due to negligence.