Drunk Driving Accidents

January 24, 2020

Marijuana Use Impairs Driving Even After the High Is Gone

A new study from a Harvard Medical School hospital has found that recreational cannabis use impacts an individual’s driving ability, even when the individual is not high from marijuana.

The dangerous behaviors of non-intoxicated drivers documented in the study included drivers exceeding the speed limit, blowing through red lights and crossing the centerline of roads. These are driving behaviors that can cause serious and even deadly car accidents.

In addition to linking chronic, heavy, recreational cannabis use to poorer driving performance in non-intoxicated individuals, the study also found that individuals who started using marijuana at age 16 or earlier exhibited greater impairment.

A specially designed driving simulation was used to obtain the data. Continue reading

April 25, 2018

Who Can File A Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Massachusetts

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Massachusetts state law is what controls the aspects of a wrongful death lawsuit that deals with who has the right to file the lawsuit in court. Typically, only immediate family members of the victim have standing to sue the person or entity that caused the death. But the definition of immediate family is something a court may have to decide in today’s more flexible familial standards.

For the most part, it is simple to determine the immediate family that will seek such a claim. These would be a spouse, including domestic partners, and children of the deceased.

A partner who is not married or registered domestic partner, may have to file a special request to the court to get permission to file a wrongful death lawsuit. The same special permission may be required for step children or parents. If you fall within one of these classifications, the other side will challenge your right to collect in a wrongful death lawsuit. This is why it is important to hire experienced Massachusetts personal injury attorneys for your case.

April 24, 2018

Man Evading Police in Worcester Slams into Multiple Vehicles and a Building

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In the middle of the night, of the early morning hours today, a man in Worcester was avoiding police and wound up hitting multiple cars and crashing into a building.

The man, Christopher Mason, is 31-years-old, and sped his vehicle through the streets of Chilmark and Steward and about 2:35 a.m. today. He is a resident of Worcester. He also attempted to flee after hitting the building.

In total, he ran into three vehicles stationed on Chilmark Street, while driving his pick up truck. At least one of the vehicles had an occupant, a 21-year-old female found screaming in her vehicle. She sustained back and neck injuries as a result of the impact. She was taken to a hospital to treat her injuries.

April 21, 2018

What to Know About Whiplash Claims (Part 1)

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Car collisions are an everyday occurrence in Boston. Victims in car accidents can sustain a variety of injuries.

Whiplash is perhaps the most well-known, and often occurring injury in a car accident in Boston.

Although common, whiplash is grossly misunderstood. Whiplash is specifically an injury to the neck from intense, quick back-and-forth movement of the neck. The term whiplash comes from the movement that creates the injury. This type of action can cause severe injury to the neck and spine.

April 21, 2018

Driver Loses Control of Vehicle in Attleboro, Sustains Injuries

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Law enforcement officers report today, that a man in his 30s was transported to a hospital after suffering harm in a car accident in Attleboro.

The accident occurred when he lost control of the Jeep on Highland Avenue at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Friday.

The vehicle also suffered injury.

The accident is being investigated by police.

There is no further information on whether another vehicle was involved.

April 20, 2018

Increased Car Accidents on 420 due to Drivers Under the Influence

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Due to a rise in deadly car accidents on April 20th around 4:20 p.m., a sort of holiday for marijuana enthusiasts, Massachusetts law enforcement asks drivers to exercise caution on today.

Now that recreational marijuana is legal in Massachusetts, marijuana dispensaries are set to open in the next few months across the state.

However, law enforcement have been against the legalization since 2016 and continue to alert drivers that operating a motor vehicle while under the influence is still illegal. It is also incredibly dangerous. The Governor’s office released a statement advising the public of the following:

“Driver responsibility plays a huge role in keeping our roads safe – whether we’re talking about marijuana or alcohol – and we want to remind drivers not to take the wheel if they are impaired in any way.”

April 18, 2018

Saugus Drunk Driver Runs Into Own Home

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

On Wednesday, the Saugus Police released information that a male was in a car accident on Saturday.

The male’s mother reported that he was driving under the influence.

She stated that at 10:49 a.m. on April 14th he struck the Biscayne Avenue home with his vehicle.

There is no further information on whether the man was arrested, or suffered any injuries.

April 18, 2018

Set of Car Accidents in Lynn in One Day

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Lynn Police logs released today indicate that a pair of car accidents occurred on Monday.

The first collision was reported at 180 Commercial Street at nearly 2:00 p.m., and the second at almost 4 p.m. on Stanwood Street.

There is no word on whether injuries were sustained.

April 17, 2018

DUI Suspect Identified in Framingham Hit-and-Run Accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

On Tuesday, a Michael R. Wisnack of Worcester was arraigned in court for two crashes he was involved in this past Sunday. However, it was revealed today that he may be a suspect in a Framingham hit-and-run accident.

The first accident attributed to the 63-year-old man occurred at about 7 p.m. on Saturday on Route 9, according to Natick Police. His vehicle rammed into the highway barrier completely collapsing one side of the BMW. Wisnack appeared to not know how the accident occurred at the time. The odor of alcohol was emanating from his person as he spoke with officers at the scene, and he ultimately did not pass the field sobriety tests administered.

During the testing, Framingham Police officers arrived to the location; the BMW appeared to be the same vehicle identified as part of a hit-and-run accident in Framingham. They believed this because of the damage to the front of the vehicle which could not have occurred that same night after hitting the barrier.

There are no further details about the Framingham hit-and-run.

August 16, 2012

Many Drunk Drivers Double Legal Limit in Fatal Accidents, Not Truckers

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Drinking and driving is a big problem along our state’s roads.

Some drivers are more likely to do it than others. According to a recent study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), trucks drivers were the group who were least likely to be involved in a fatal alcohol-related accident. In 2010, less than 5 percent of fatal accidents involving truckers involved an impaired driver. They only accounted for 2 percent of American drivers who were involved in a fatal accident with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, according to FleetOwner.

Alarmingly, the new statistics from the NHTSA show that about 70 percent of drunk driving accidents from 2010 involved a driver who had a BAC nearly twice the legal limit of .08.

Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers understand that there were more than 10,000 people killed in alcohol-related car accidents in 2010. These accidents accounted for about a third of all traffic fatalities in the country, meaning someone was killed every 51 minutes. During this same time, about 70 percent of these accidents involved a driver who returned a BAC reading twice that of the .08 legal limit. As a matter of fact, the most frequently recorded BAC among drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes was .18.

Regardless of how drunk a driver is when involved in a fatal car accident, the truth of the matter is that they’re breaking the law. Drivers should never get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, of any amount but especially when they’re drunk. These kinds of accidents are completely preventable.

To help to get drivers to be more responsible and to avoid these kinds of accidents, officials with the NHTSA are teaming up with law enforcement agencies across the nation, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), with the National Center for DWI Courts and with Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) for the nationwide anti-drunk driving campaign “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” The campaign kicked off on the 17th of August.

There are more than 10,000 law enforcement departments across the nation that are supporting this year’s campaign. It will be going strong through the Labor Day holiday weekend.

“Drunk driving remains a serious, unacceptable threat to our families and our communities. Our campaign is clear — if you choose to drive drunk, you will be held accountable,” said USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

As we close up the summer season, we know that residents and visitors will be heading out for one last celebration. This is how most people view Labor Day weekend. We’re asking drivers to stay sober during this time. The Labor Day holiday weekend is one of the deadliest on our roadways and this is a direct result of drunk driving car accidents. Remember to always have a sober way to get home. You can use a taxi, a bus, the subway a train, a friend, a family member or even a trolley. Remember these options to help you to stay safe and out of a potentially fatal car accident.
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