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So going "haha, I was right your dad was wrong. Now you're not going to college" is what you consider mature and responsible? The kid realises he messed up. Why kick him while he's already down? This is not the action of a responsible parent, this is spite! She had no right to make this decision just as the father had no right to buy the bike. I would never let my 16 year old have a bike regardless what he thought of me or where he got it because I actually have seen how these accidents usually end up (most people have, they're pretty common). This is what an actual responsible parent does! She reacted to the situation out of anger instead of actually thinking it through rationally. By volunteering responsibility for the accident, she just opened up herself and son to all kinds of lawsuits that she now has very little chance of defending herself. This can end up costing millions! If the parents are mad, let them sue and have the courts decide what to do with it.

Your logic sounds great until you get to the part where it is clear that the entire accident is firstly, the son's fault. This wasnt just a traffic accident - he was drag racing; and with a passenger. And secondly this was the father's fault for buying the motorcycle, and he bought cheap insurance. I would not have admitted liability but pretty jard to argue against it. There is no piece of this story that is the mom's fault. Nice try though.

Im bored at work and going through some old comments and have to say the reaction im getting here is completely hilarious! You guys are so out of touch. You never admit guilt and never EVER offer money. Let the courts decide qho will pay, how much they will pay and how they will pay. Get off your soapboxes and stop saying this is good parenting. This woman completely screwed over her son out of spite. Any crappy ambulance chaser of a lawyer will tell you this! Use some common sense people!!

You fail to see that the son had the motorcycle "at his dad's" (the enabler of this fiasco) which could've resulted in 2 funerals, not the mere loss of a college fund! Whether the $ source is: a college fund (useless lesson if the son didn't contribute); a job; or other, the $ to pay for his bad choices should "hurt" and come from WORKING AND from the bike's sale! The son acted like a dumb-a*s: violating EVERY state law, and rule his mom set up for his physical and $$$ protection! Until the hospital called, mom was clueless. In her panic, her reaction - yelling, and an attitude of "I told you so" - is natural. Mom may've lost her cool, but admitting obvious fault models responsibility, honesty & integrity for her son! Good for her! I wonder if Clark's folks knew his ride home was a motorcycle, yet didn't say NO! Long before motorcycles were on my horizon, my mom forbade me, in no uncertain terms, to get on one, to avoid such awfulness! This young man's mom tried to do the same! 👏👏👏

If it's the US, and it's a tort case (which it most likely would be), generally minors are held responsible for their own torts. That means in a suit, generally, one can't go after the parents for the money unless they prove the parents are directly or consequentially responsible for the action. If they were to win a suit against the son, neither of the parents could be held legally financially responsible.

@Kota Ball- people don't realize that a minor can be successfully sued. You may not be able to get the money you were awarded while he is still a minor, but all judgements are valid for a certain amount of time depending on the state (between 5-20yrs). And if that time runs out you can ask the court for a renewal, which gives you another 5-20 years to collect. This kid and dad should just pay from the college fund whatever the insurance won't cover. Better to have to save more money or take out a student loan than to have a judgement against you at age 16. Depending on how long it takes to pay it, he could have this on his credit well into his late 20s/30s.

Quite obviously they don't. Frontal lobes are the last to develop reasoning in the mid twenties. Teenagers make stupid mistakes and need guidelines and consequences for behavior. That's why the husband is a s**t bag here.

Sure, we're all "allowed" to make mistakes. It's just that some mistakes are "affordable" some are "expensive", and some are irrevocable. This one was an expensive mistake; fortunately, he lived to tell the tale and pay for it. Life sucks sometimes. Death sucks forever.

Yep, and I was responsible for the consequences. Guess what never happened after that? I was always the responsible kid but after I was able to get out from my parents thumb I went a little wild. Raising the consequence today but it did teach me that I want nearly as grown as I thought I was if I could so easily make a mistake like that. Wouldn't change anything though, my daughter is great.

In every state you can absolutely sue a minor. Most people don't bother because minors usually have no money and there's no guarantee that they will ever make enough to garnish. Findlaw has an article on suing minors https://www.findlaw.com/litigation/filing-a-lawsuit/8-reasons-you-can-legitimately-sue-a-minor-and-win.html

Contract and tort law are different. Contracting with a minor is a type of "contractor beware" situation where there have been people as young as 5 held responsible for their tort actions

Meh...yeah. theres sine culpability, but not equal. The kid needed a ride home from practice. Not wise but who knows what Bryan told him about "the rules"? Bryan chose to then engage in illegal street racing. If it was about percentages, I'd say 75% Bryan, maybe 25% Clark. In 1974, three teen boys in my high school were on 2 bikes and decided one night to play "chicken". They all lost. Their lives. It was a stupid mistake...but the consequences was death, and that's irrevocable.