Sixteen-year-old Daniel Fernandez was one of 65 teens heading to a Sweet Sixteen party in Garfield, NJ when he hit his head on an overpass in Fort Lee near the George Washington Bridge. He died of severe head trauma at Hackensack University Medical Center shortly after the incident.

The party bus did not possess the proper state permits to operate legally in New Jersey, according to northjersey.com. NJ authorities say Designer Limousines of Port Washington, NY did not apply for a permit required for vehicles over 13 feet, 6 inches high, but continued to operate the 13 feet, 9 inches high bus in the state.

A security guard said that he warned the rowdy teens against opening the hatch multiple times.

“I told them not to open the hatch, like three or four times, but kids, they don’t understand,” the security guard on the bus, Alex Franco, 41, told nydailynews.com. He supervised the crowd for the entire duration of the bus ride except for a few minutes when he went downstairs, which is when the incident occurred. Franco insisted that “the passengers were checked for booze before they boarded, and that no alcohol was served on the bus.”

The accident remains under investigation.

If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation and need an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you handle your claim.