Articles Posted in Personal Injury

Now that we are in the height of holiday travel season, it is probably fair to say that motorists have more fear of having an encounter with a drunk, aggressive or distracted driver. The drivers who probably should fear a car accident in Newton, New Bedford, Cambridge or throughout Boston the most are elderly drivers who don’t react as quickly or see as well to avoid a collision.

Massachusetts personal injury attorneys understand how important it is to keep loved ones close during the holidays. Sometimes we notice a decline in an elder parent so it is important to monitor his or her driving skills and talk about ways to stay safe this time of year. Keeping older adults off roadways as much as possible this time of year is an important step in keeping them safe throughout the holiday season.

Recent studies are showing that elders are involved in fewer accidents compared to previous years even though there is an increase in registered drivers over the age of 70.

SouthCoastToday.com reports elders feel like they get the brunt of the blame when they driver more cautiously than a teenager or other risk-taking motorists. A fatality report provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicated that drivers over age 70 have improved the rate of accident involvement more than young adults or middle-aged drivers. In addition, a driver over the age of 74 is less likely to kill other vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists or pedestrians than a licensed driver between the ages of 30 and 59.

In 2008, the Federal Highway Administration reported 22 million licensed drivers over the age of 69 on U.S roadways. In 1997, there were fewer than 18 million drivers in this age group. According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation there are currently 316,548 senior drivers between 70-79 years-old, 171,242 drivers between 80-90 years-old and over 24,500 drivers over 90 years old. People are not only living longer but they are driving longer despite efforts to keep them off roadways.

State lawmakers have considered restricting elder drivers or requiring them to take tests. Within the last 12 months, there have been more than 10,000 seniors over age 70 involved in a Massachusetts car accident. To date, state officials only require vision tests for drivers 75 and older every 5 years. One problem that haunts elder drivers is difficulty seeing, especially at night. With the advancement and success of laser eye surgery local police officials don’t see elderly drivers as a problem worth raising too much concern over. Teens and young drivers are just as big of a problem.

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles does not limit drivers based on age alone. Instead, Massachusetts is a self-reporting state and base licensing standards on a driver’s functional ability. Self-reporting means each driver (or someone who takes note) is responsible for reporting personal medical conditions or age-related issues that can affect driving ability. According to IIHS, 28 states throughout the country place standards on senior drivers which may include vision tests, driving tests or shorter renewal periods.

Keep your elderly loved one safe this holiday season by offering to take them shopping or driving them to run weekly errands.
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Our Boston car accident attorneys recently discussed the dangers that come along with Daylight Saving Time and with the sun setting sooner in the day. We would now like to discuss a recent episode of HEALTHY VISION with Dr. Val Jones. She recently spoke with optometrist Dr. Cristina Schnider and John Ulczycki of the National Safety Council to talk about the dangers we face on our roadways during evening driving.

The reduction in visibility with nighttime driving brings about increased risks of a car accident in Boston mainly because of how our eyes work. When our pupils enlarge because of low-light situations, the focusing mechanism needs to work harder. When there’s not much to focus on, as is typically the situation at night, our eyes rapidly move around looking for something to focus on. This can cause drivers to overlook important details on the roadway.

Sometimes the eye will focus on the windshield for instance, ot the glare or bugs on the windshield. This is not a good thing. Schnider recommends that drivers continuously look left and right scanning the roadway to allow your eyes to focus in on the important factors.

This may sound odd, but Schnider also reminds drivers to remember to blink. Drivers tend to keep their eyes open for a longer period of time while driving during the night in an attempt to better focus on things. The lack of blinking can cause eyes to dry out. Air conditioning and open windows can also cause your eyes to dry out, which can negatively affect your vision. You’re also recommended to take frequent breaks when driving at night, and for long road trips if possible have another licensed driver with you to share the driving duties if needed. Drivers can strain and dry their eyes while driving for long periods of time in the evening hours.

Your risk for being in a car accident during the evening is three times higher than your risks of getting into an accident when it’s light out, according to Ulczycki. He says peripheral vision is greatly reduced when we drive at night because our eyes are so busy focusing on what’s directly in front of us. He notes that about 25 percent of travel happens during evening hours and nearly 50 percent of fatal accidents happen during the nighttime.

He says that drivers oftentimes have a misconception of risk at night. He says because drivers are unable to see risks as well during the night as they are during the day, they believe that the risks aren’t there. The truth is that the risks are still there and drivers need to adjust their driving to compensate for this reduction in visibility. Keep your eyes moving, keep looking around and keep it cautious to avoid a risk nighttime driving situation.
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Our state is getting serious snow super early this year. Last weekend, Boston got an inch of snow while Cambridge saw 1-2 inches. This snowfall was extremely rare for October.

Some parts of western Massachusetts saw more than a foot of snow, paralyzing parts of the Northeast. The storm left more than 620,000 residents without power. It started out with heavy rains and ended with a wicked snowstorm. Many towns in western Massachusetts broke their record for snowfall in for the entire month of October.

Boston’s record for October snowfall still sits at 1.1 inches, which was set back in 2005. Worcester broke the record with the largest margin at 14.6 inches of snow.

As of November 1st, Western Massachusetts Electric Co. reported that more than 90,000 of its 210,000 plus customers still didn’t have electricity. Power outages aren’t the only inconvenience residents in the area are facing. With the wicked weather we have wicked driving conditions. Roadways throughout the state were icy and covered in snow. These conditions, no matter how careful the driver, can produce serious risks of car accidents in Massachusetts. Two people in Massachusetts have died from car accidents in the snowy weather already.

Our Boston car accident attorneys understand that businesses have been closed, school has been canceled and Halloween has been postponed in some areas. Officials report that it could be days before some residents see the power restored to their homes and businesses. Governor Deval L. Patrick urges all residents who are without power to remain patient.

“This is a house-by-house, branch-by-branch kind of response,” said Patrick.

About 700 guardsmen are posted throughout the state. In addition to the two motorists who were killed on our roadways, another man has died because of a downed power line.

Worcester, Massachusetts’ officials have asked parents to hold Halloween celebrations on Thursday. This is when the weather is expected to improve. By Thursday, emergency responders should have all of the downed power lines and trees removed from the streets as well.

Among the area that was affected by this storm, nearly 2 million people lost power, more than 20 people died in traffic-related accidents and electrocutions.

A train from Chicago to Boston also got stuck in the mess. It was stopped in central Massachusetts with nearly 50 people on-board, according to Amtrak officials. The truck was stuck in Palmer, Massachusetts. The snowstorm caused a rockslide that blocked off the tracks. Passengers have been rescued and were taken to their destinations by bus.

The snowstorm has caused Amtrak to delay a number of other routes in the area.

Commuters are urged to check out “T Alerts” to see if any rail services have been delayed.

The rest of the week’s forecast is expected to be back to normal, with weather in the mid-50s. For a complete review of the upcoming forecast, visit the Boston Globe‘s website.
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A senior citizen from Taunton was recently involved in a serious single-car accident in Massachusetts. The vehicle flipped as the elderly driver plowed into the Reed and Barton silver company building. She landed right-side up and had to wait for emergency personnel to come and pry her from the vehicle, according to the Taunton Daily Gazette.

The accident happened when the vehicle’s tire popped when she was driving along West Brittania Street. Her car was thrown down a hill about the length of a football field. The vehicle struck a brick wall before coming to a stop. Emergency responders used the Jaws of Life to cut the driver’s side door off to retrieve the elderly driver.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that with age comes an increased risk of being involved in a car accident. Elderly drivers may not be able to react as quickly to dangerous situations on the road as younger drivers can. Residents are urged to keep an eye on their elderly family member’s motor skills to help ensure that they’re safe on our roadways. If you feel that an elderly loved one’s driving ability may be drifting away, you’re urged to talk with them about hanging up their keys — for their safety.

The elderly driver was taken to the Morton Hospital and Medical Center and was later transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Hospital staff has yet to release information regarding the driver’s condition.

Losing the ability to drive safely is a part of life as it comes with age. It doesn’t mean that everyone needs to stop driving at a specific age. It just means that we need to keep an eye on our driving skills to be able to determine when it’s best for us to stop. It’s important to remember that giving up the keys doesn’t mean handing over our independence. Elderly residents who stop driving find a need for alternative forms of transportation which oftentimes can come with a number of social and health benefits.

If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms listed from HelpGuide, you could be at an extremely high risk for being involved in potentially fatal accident:

-Are you having trouble looking over your should for surrounding traffic? This is oftentimes caused by stiffness in the neck or aching joints.

-Pain in your legs is another symptom that can affect your ability to drive. Leg and foot pain can stop you from pressing the right pedals, whether it’s the brake or the gas pedal, when needed.

-Are your arms feeling weak? This pain can make it difficult for your move the steering wheel quick enough to avoid an accident.

-Unfortunately, reaction time slows with age. With a slower reaction time, you’re less likely to able to spot a vehicle entering your path in time to avoid crashing into it.

-Road signs and signals may start to seem overwhelming. Elderly drivers can also become overwhelmed with traffic and pedestrians. Unfortunately for aging seniors, keeping track of multiple tasks can become more and more difficult.

Aging residents are urged to keep an eye on their driving abilities and to understand that there may come a time when you’re better of finding another mode of transportation besides driving. Family members are also asked to keep an eye on the elderly drivers in their life to make sure that they’re not putting themselves in danger on our roadways.
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