JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville mom is sharing a warning for parents of teen drivers after her son was burned and injured following a car crash Saturday night.
Fifteen-year-old Tommy Goins was sitting in the backseat of a car driving down Myrtle avenue when the driver ran off the road way and hit a tree.
You can still see the tire marks from that crash.
“The last time I seen my son he was like, ma, I’ll see you later and then later comes and my baby is, burned all up," Derlisa Laws, his mother said.
Photos show her son laying in the hospital bed, on a ventilator, in an induced coma with burns covering most of his body.
“I never thought in a million years that I would be in a situation where my son is in a hospital bed fighting every minute for his life," said Laws.
Tommy was one of three people in a car when it left the roadway and hit a tree. According to the police report, the driver was speeding and driving recklessly.
Laws is sharing her story as a warning for other parents to talk with their teens about reckless driving.
Something that experts with the American Automobile Association says starts with laying down rules for the road.
“I think that it's very important for parents to talk to their teens about the importance of always buckling up being a safe passenger, of teen and adult drivers, and prohibiting your team from riding with teen drivers or transporting other teens during the learning to drive process. The thing to remember is that, you know, teen drivers are still very inexperienced, it takes time to develop that experience," Jenkins said.
Jenkins even suggests creating a parent-teen driving agreement.
“Say for instance, like what time of day they can drive if they're allowed to have other passengers in the vehicle with them. And of course, what type of limitations you're gonna have on technology," Mark Jenkins, a AAA Spokesman, said.
Tommy has already undergone two surgeries and has a long road to recovery, but his mom is advocating for others to learn from his story.
“That’s the whole message that I’m trying to spread today is that these youth and when they get out here, and start driving these cars, make sure they mature enough, you know if you’re going to ride your friends in the car, get them from point A to point B," Laws said.
At this time we do not know the condition of the other two people in the car.