Car Accidents

March 25, 2011

State Trooper Injured on the Job in Massachusetts Car Accident

A Massachusetts state police officer was involved in a Boston car accident with a 40-year-old man, who had reportedly been drinking. The 43-year-old officer suffers from leg injuries, but remains in stable condition at Boston Medical Center.

Boston personal injury lawyers understand that many jobs, including law enforcement, require workers to work in some compromising situations. It is the responsibility of employers to arm you with the necessary tools to keep you safe on the job and the services to help you recover should you be involved in a work related injury.

Recently on our Boston Injury Attorney Blog we congratulated Massachusetts for the 100th anniversary of its workers’ compensation law. According to WorkersCompensation.com, Massachusetts was the second state to enact a workers’ compensation statute.

Two serious accidents took place last week in Massachusetts alone. In addition to an officer’s vehicle being struck by an impaired driver, a separate police accident happened last week leaving a 54-year-old officer injured when a car crossing the median struck his cruiser head on.

In 2009, nearly 4,500 workers killed on the job in the United Stated. More than 1,500 of those deaths were the results of transportation incidents, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Massachusetts accounted nearly 70 of those deaths.

According to Boston.com, Massachusetts state troopers have been experiencing a series of crashes lately, leaving many officers injured. The most recent crash marks the 12th serious crash in the past 15 months that left a trooper seriously injured. Causes of these accidents include erratic driving, speeding, or impaired driving of civilians, according to the State Police.

The Unites States has progressed tremendously in workplace safety requirements, but also acknowledges that workers continue to be injured or killed and employers need to be held accountable.
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March 22, 2011

Child Car Seats Under New Regulations for Better Protection in Boston Car Accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

New child car seat safety recommendations from The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), suggest parents keep their children in a rear-facing car seat until the age of two, or until the child outgrows their current seat. These new regulations should prove safer in Boston car accidents.

Boston personal injury lawyers would like to remind you how important it is to make sure our children are safely restrained in the appropriate car seat. According to the latest mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics, car accidents are the number one cause of death for those ages 3 to 14.

CNN reports that children under the age of 2 involved in a car accident, in rear-facing car seats, are 75 percent less likely to suffer from a severe injury, or even death, if secured properly. Rear-facing car seats have been shown to be five times safer than forward-facing car seats when involved in a motor vehicle accident.

It is not uncommon for parents to misuse child car seats. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports one study found that, of 3,500 cases, 72 percent of parents misused the car seat in such a way that could be expected to increase their child’s risk of injury during a car accident.

Once children have reach the age of two, or outgrown the recommended maximum height and weight of car seats, you are advised to keep your child in a booster seat until they reach 8-years-old. It is also recommended that children under the age of 14 are kept in the backseat.

A complete list of car seat safety tips, instructions, and recommendations can be found on the AAA website.
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March 18, 2011

Boston road rage a big city danger; common cause of Massachusetts car accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Last November a 62 year-old man stabbed a 52 year-old driver during a road rage incident following a Boston car accident that caused a traffic jam, according to ABC-5.

The enraged driver claimed the accident was going to make him late to pick up his son. While traffic slowed the driver exited his vehicle and begun to physically harass the nearby victim he accused of causing the backup.

According to a new survey by RoadandTravel.com motorists respond to aggressive driving in all sorts of ways — more than half return the aggression:

-2 percent of drivers try to run the aggressor off the road
-34 percent honk their horns
-7 percent mimic the aggressive behavior
-19 percent give the finger
-17 percent flash their headlights
-27 percent yell
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving as “the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers persons or property.” NHTSA reports more that 6 million accidents occur each year with aggressive driving contributing to a substantial number of those incidents.

Aggressive driving is a traffic offense. Road rage is a criminal offense, typically involving assault. Our Boston personal injury lawyers urge drivers to protect themselves with defense-driving habits.

If you come in contact with an aggressive driver there are some tips to help keep you safe:

– Never retaliate.

– If you’ve been harassed and are being followed do not go home. Go to the nearest police station.

– Be polite, even when others are not.

– Never underestimate other drivers’ capacity for rage.

– Do not put others in danger by attempting to outrun the enraged drive. Always drive the speed limit.

– Reduce driving stress by allowing plenty of time to reach your destination.

– Remember you can’t control other drivers but you can control yourself.
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March 16, 2011

Boston car accidents a St. Patrick’s Day danger

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Authorities are expected to be out in force this St. Patrick’s Day in effort to prevent Boston car accidents caused by drunk driving according to an article in The Boston Globe.

Our Boston personal injury lawyers urge residents to enjoy the upcoming four-day weekend kicked off by Thursday’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. But also encourage you to celebrate responsibly with a designated driver and don’t drink and drive.

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration reports 37 percent of drivers involved in fatal accidents on St. Patrick’s Day in past years have had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.

Whether you’re attending the Harpoon St. Patrick’s Festival at the Harpoon Brewery, the 110th St. Patrick’s Day parade in South Boston, or the St. Patrick’s Day open house at the Irish Cultural Centre of New England we wish you safest of travels.

Safe driving tips for your St. Patrick’s Day:

– Go out with a plan. Find a designated driver.

– If impaired, find another way home: call a friend or family member, use a taxi, try public transportation.

– If you see someone who is impaired and about to drive, take their keys and help them make safe a safe arrangement to get home.

– Help others stay safe. Be sure to call 911 if you see a drunk driver on the road.
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February 22, 2011

Not just teens victimized by Boston car accidents involving young drivers

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A recent report by Health News Digest reminds us teens are not the only victims of Boston car accidents involving young drivers. Too often, innocent motorists on the road, or bicyclists or pedestrians, are seriously injured or killed in accidents with teen drivers.

We often place attention on the teen driver in fatal accidents but our Boston personal injury lawyers are here to focus on all victims and their families following a Massachusetts car accident involving a teen driver.

According to Health News Digest, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm Insurance, 681,000 people a year are involved in a crash with a young driver. Over 40,000 people were injured; 30% of the fatalities from these crashes were not occupying the car driven by the young driver.

The purpose of the report is to not only provide valuable data for safety advocates, but to also measure the success of education, laws, and programs in reducing teen crashes and the impact they have on the victim’s community. The report utilizes 11 indicators to help law officials and safety specialists determine progress in influence behaviors of teen drivers. The research indicated that four areas need improvement: speeding, driving under the influence, use of seatbelts, and distracted driving.

Over 50% of teens who were killed in crashes were speeding; 40% tested positive for blood alcohol content; 16% reported distraction at the time of the accident; and over 50% were not wearing seat belts.

More teens die from fatal car crashes than from suicide, homicide, and cancer combined, according to the report. It’s reported that 24% of total teen deaths are teen drivers or peer passengers.

One conclusion can be drawn from the research and that is that driver inexperience leads to a lot of these tragedies. States that mandate strong graduated driver licensing laws seem to be on the right track. In a recent post on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog we reported that fatal accidents for young drivers in Massachusetts have decreased 75% over the last 3 years. Massachusetts is one state that has seen results since introducing the GDL program and enforcing stricter laws on teens.

The next step is to focus on teen driving behaviors like drunk driving, distracted driving, failing to wear a seat belt, and speeding, in order to reduce the number of teen driving fatalities each year. Organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Focus Driven will play an important role.
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February 20, 2011

Defective and dangerous roads a cause of Boston car accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Defective road design can cause serious and fatal motor vehicle crashes. Motorists should expect that those charged with the design, building and maintaining of our roadways have put safety first. Each year many motorists are the victims of Boston car accidents due to poorly maintained roads.

Motorists involved in an accident that are caused by any of the following need to contact an experienced Boston personal injury lawyer.

-Dangerous road construction zone.

-Malfunctioning traffic signals.

-Poor drainage of standing water.

-Muddy shoulders.

-Poor lighting.

-Improper roadway design, including dangerous curves and ramps.

-Poorly placed utility poles and trees.

Roadways that are designed with safety in mind, allow motorists to react to changing road conditions and situations in plenty of time. If there is a sharp curve on a roadway, warning signs need to be posted and guardrails erected. When these types of things are not done the municipality or state may be held responsible for failure to design and maintain safe roadways for travelers.

Recently the Boston Channel reported on the staggering number of crashes on Route 24 between Fall River and Randolph. There have been 14 fatalities in the last 3 years on that road. Neighboring comparable roads, Interstate 95 and Route 3, have half that amount.

Law enforcement’s theory for all the crashes is that the road simply was not designed to handle the volume of traffic it gets today. The 50-year-old road design has ramps that are too short and curves that are too sharp.

AAA Exchange offers these suggestions to make our roadways safer:

-Signs: make them larger, easier to read by using reflective material and place them well ahead of the event.

-Crosswalks: mark the pavement with reflective material, make crossing countdown longer and make crosswalk buttons bigger and easier to reach.

-Left turn lanes: have a signalized intersection with a left turn lane offset, this is better than having drivers judge when it is safe to turn. Offset left-turn lanes are safer because cars traveling in the opposite direction don’t block your view.

-Stop signs: make stop signs larger and use reflective material. Alert drivers by installing rumble strips before a stop sign.

-Lighting: overall better lighting for highways and city streets. As we age our pupils shrink so our eyes need more light to see.

-Pavement markings: use reflective material to mark road edges, curbs, lanes and intersections.

-Traffic signals: make traffic signal heads bigger, 8 to 12 inches could be needed in some locations.

-Freeway exits & entrances: make larger clearer signs giving drivers plenty of time to move over.

-Work zones: warn driver’s way in advance of the approaching work zone areas. Large, bright, flashing and carefully placed devices are needed to guide drivers through the work zone area.

-Changeable message signs: need to be easy to read and use short simple wording.
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February 15, 2011

Data Recorders could reduce risk of Massachusetts trucking accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Technology helps track hours of service and eliminates paperwork for commercial truckers which could keep them more alert, thereby reducing the risk of Boston trucking accidents.

A regulatory proposal was issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requiring installation of electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) for interstate commercial truck and bus companies to monitor hours-of-service (HOS) compliance by their driver’s.

Our Boston personal injury lawyers applaud the U.S. government in their continued efforts to ensure truckers comply with safety regulations that keep all motorists safe.

In 2008 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 50,430 vehicles were involved in fatal crashes. A total of 4,066 of these vehicles were large trucks. In Massachusetts there were 444 vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2008; 20 were large trucks.

Currently truckers keep a log book to document hours of service. Supporting documents such as toll and delivery receipts are used to verify the total amount of time drivers spend behind the wheel. The antiquated system is ripe for abuse and has made a mockery of hours-of-service rules, which are designed to protect motorists from accidents caused by fatigued truckers.

The EOBR’s eliminate the need for retaining all the paperwork, and do more to keep the industry honest. Think of the device as an electronic record keeping system.

“We cannot protect our roadways when commercial truck and bus companies exceed hours-of-service rules,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This proposal would make our roads safer by ensuring that carriers traveling across state lines are using EOBRs to track the hours their drivers spend behind the wheel.”

Several carriers have already installed this technology, including U.S. Express Enterprise, Schneider National, Maverick USA, J.B. Hunt, Knight Transportation and Maverick USA. The proposed rule would affect about 500,000 carriers.

The proposal would require interstate carriers that currently use Records of Duty (RODS) log books to use EOBRs to document hours of service. Carriers that use timecards to document HOS, like short-haul interstate truckers, won’t be required to use EOBRs.

Noncompliance impact a carrier’s DOT operating authority and safety fitness rating negatively. Carriers can be fined up to $11,000 for each offense that violates this EOBR requirement.

“This proposal is an important step in our efforts to raise the safety bar for commercial carriers and drivers,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “We believe broader use of EOBRs would give carriers and drivers an effective tool to strengthen their HOS compliance.”
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February 2, 2011

Stay Home! Avoid the risk of a Boston car accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Authorities are warning of an increased risk of Boston car accidents and traffic accidents elsewhere in Massachusetts through the remainder of the work week as the area continues to deal with a storm that has pounded the nation from North Texas to Southern Maine.

Our Boston Personal Injury Lawyers reported Massachusetts Winter Safe Driving Tips earlier this month on our Boston Car Accident Lawyers Blog.

The Worcester Telegram reports traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike and other main roads is slow moving, with speed limits reduced to 40 mph.

A Massachusetts trucking accident was reported early Wednesday morning when a tractor-trailer hauling cornmeal rolled over and split apart on the Mass Pike. Other semi accidents have been reported in Millbury and Charlton.

The Boston Herald reports that the Massachusetts State Police have also responded to dozens of spinouts.

ABC 5 reported that Gov. Deval Patrick has ordered all non-emergency personnel to stay home.

State police report responding to 16 crashes, 22 spinouts and 34 disabled vehicles on Tuesday. Those who do not have to travel are encouraged to stay home until driving conditions improve.
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February 1, 2011

Massachusetts cab driver arrested for DUI after car accident during snowstorm

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The recent arrest of a Somerville cab driver on drunk driving charges in the middle of a snowstorm illustrates the need for better supervision of the taxi industry in Massachusetts and highlights the rights of motorists in the wake of a Boston taxi cab accident.

A Boston personal injury lawyer should always be consulted when a citizen is seriously injured or killed in a taxi cab accident.

In this case, the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety reports the cab driver was extremely belligerent when found by police with his cab stuck in a snowbank on Soldiers Field Road.

Massachusetts State Police responded shortly before 5:30 a.m., in the midst of a Nor’easter, to find the driver behind the wheel of the running cab in the area of Leo Birmingham Parkway.

The 25-year-old East Somerville cab driver refused to identify himself and was ultimately identified through the cab company. He became argumentative and told troopers that he was walking, and then that he was a passenger in the cab. He also said he had crashed into a snowmobile.

At one point during the booking process, the cab driver put his fingers in his ears and repeated in a sing-song voice that he could not hear the officers informing him that he was under arrest.

He was charged with operating under the influence of liquor and refusing to identify himself.
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January 29, 2011

Friendlier streets may reduce risk of Boston bicycle accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Solar glare is believed to have played a role in a South End car accident involving a white sedan and a cyclist on the corner of Tremont and Arlington late last week, the Boston Globe reports. The 74-year-old cyclist was killed, his death marking at least the third fatal Boston bicycle accident in the area in two years.

Our Boston personal injury lawyers remind motorists that cyclists enjoy the same rights to the road. Boston has been named one of the best cities for cycling in America. Every bike on the road is one fewer vehicle at rush-hour. Please treat them with the care and respect they deserve.

According to the article, a 2009 survey by the Boston director of bicycle programs found that since 2005 roughly 375 cyclists a year report being involved in a bicycle accident on Boston streets. Of those, 37 percent involved a bike and a motor vehicle.

With that said, a Jan. 27 Boston Globe article reports that while Boston has a “historic standing” among the nation’s least-friendly places to ride, an aggressive effort in 2010 to amend that perception led to the installation of 20 miles of bike lanes around Boston last year alone.

Since Mayor Thomas Menino brought on Nicole Freedman – a former Olympic cyclists and current urban planner – in 2007 to establish Boston Bikes (a city-wide initiative to make Boston streets safer and more accessible to cyclists), there are now 35 miles of bike lanes sharing city roads. In addition to adding bike lanes, there are now more than 1,600 hitch racks located throughout the city. Boston has also sponsored numerous community programs to encourage bicycling as a public health, traffic safety, pro-environmental initiative.

According to the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Security, 27 cyclists were killed in bicycle-related Massachusetts car accidents between 2006 and 2008. In an effort to make city streets safer for both motorists and cyclists and to raise public awareness regarding the issue of bike safety, the City of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health offer a few tips for riders and drivers:

FOR CYCLISTS:
~ You have a legal right to be on the road so steer clear of car door thresholds and don’t squeeze between lanes of traffic. Ride with the flow of traffic. Don’t weave and dodge. Unpredictable behavior only increases your risk of accident.

~ Follow traffic signals. Meaning: red means stop (not just for cars but for you too). Give pedestrians the right-of-way when entering a crosswalk.

~ Be visible! Use lights when riding in the dark and reflective or bright-colored clothing during daytime and dusk.

~ Perhaps most important – protect your noggin. Always wear a helmet. It might save your life.

FOR MOTORISTS:
~ Cars and bikes aren’t in competition for road space, so share. If you grow frustrated because a cyclist is slowing you down, remember: more bikes means fewer cars. Fewer cars mean less traffic congestion.

~ Give bicyclists some room. Use your signals, not your horn. Exhibit street courtesy and look around before doing something unexpected, like opening your car door.

~ Remember, bikes can mix with traffic and legally ride on the road. Cars, not so much. Motor vehicles must steer clear of bike lanes.
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