Personal Injury

October 5, 2010

College stabbings, alcohol-infused melees raise premise liability, inadequate security concerns

Since just prior to the start of the school year, 28 complaints have been lodged with Bridgewater police regarding incidences involving Bridgewater State students, the Boson Globe reports. The largest of which was a Sept. 10 brawl that grew to include more than 150 students and their friends. At one incident, a gun was fired. A second melee found one student in the emergency room after being struck in the head with a glass bottle.

Meanwhile, a second, Sept. 28, Boston Globe article addresses separate stabbing incidents at two area colleges that left one young man hospitalized and another 18-year-old student dead. The article also reported on several other assaults, including a homicide, that have happened on or near campuses in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Wisconsin since late August.

Boston premises liability lawyers and Massachusetts negligent security attorneys know there is a fine line between providing acceptably open public access and student independence and creating and maintaining an appropriately safe and secure environment for student, staff, educators and visitors who consider college campuses a cross between a public space and a home-away-from-home. With that said, students, friends and families have a right to expect a safe learning and living environment and school administrators and campus security officials have an obligation to provide for and meet that expectation.

At Boston College, the hospitalized student required surgery to repair abdominal injury sustained during a stabbing, which reportedly occurred after the student informed four men attempting to enter a dormitory that they were not supposed to be on campus. A 29-year-old fellow Boston College student was kicked in the head after coming to assist the stabbing victim. At Regis College, the early morning parking lot stabbing death of one of their students has put campus security on high alert. Dormitories are now under 24-hour surveillance and all visitors are screened before entering the campus.

Meanwhile, across the state, school officials and campus security administrators are working to add additional safety protocols to campuses already steeped in expanded security teams, key-card only building access points, blankets of campus surveillance and checkpoint-clearance-only access for non-residents.
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September 24, 2010

A legacy of code violations, safety concerns and hazards haunt 150 abandoned East Boston warehouses

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Boston premises liability lawyers are closely monitoring a citywide crackdown on unsafe buildings in East Boston after a weekend Howard Street warehouse blaze in late August affirmed ongoing concerns long voiced by city official. Fortunately, the Boston Globe reported, none of the 170 responding firefighters nor innocent civilians were injured or killed by the blaze, a 9-alarm fire believed to be one of the biggest in Boston history. For many, the fire is eerily reminiscent of the Worchester warehouse fire that killed six firefighters in 1999.

In the wake of the fire, which is now known to have been started by illegal tenants shooting fireworks into a nearby warehouse, the Boston Herald reports that Mayor Thomas Menino created a taskforce dedicated to putting pressure on the owners of 147 East Boston buildings in question. The goal, to force landlords and property owners to bring their holdings up to code and correct a host of other safety concerns and violations. In addition, the team will investigate ways to streamline the process allowing the City to take over abandoned properties.

Following the Mayor’s announcement, a second Herald article reported that the landlord of the burned Roxbury warehouse – who, according to public records, owns a $620,000 home in New Hampshire – claims he’s broke. He insists he lacks the resources to address the growing list of violations and hazards associated with the property and has openly refused to fix code violations. He currently owes the City nearly $200,000 in back taxes.

Too often abandoned properties become a danger. To curious neighbor kids, they can be irresistible. The homeless may take up residence and create their own dangers. Passersby may be at risk because of broken sidewalks or falling debris. And the dangers can pose a risk to police or rescue personnel who must respond to them in the event of an emergency. Owners have an obligation to keep such properties free of hazards. When they don’t, and someone is seriously injured or killed, a property owner can and should be held responsible.
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September 6, 2010

Massachusetts work accident kills teen grounds keeper at local golf course

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

An 18-year-old college student drown while cutting grass at an area golf course over the weekend, the Boston Globe reported.

The Lakeville youth was riding a mower at the Back Nine Club when he apparently drove into a water hazard, according to the Plymouth District Attorney’s Office. He was trapped beneath the mower in about five feet of water.

A Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyer or Boston wrongful death attorney should always be contacted when a loved one is injured or killed on the job. In this case, a premise liability or defective product claim may be filed depending on the outcome of the investigation.

It took 20 minutes to get him out of the water and he was taken to Morton Hospital and Medical Center in Taunton, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death, which appears to be accidental drowning.

The young man was a three-sport athlete at Apponequet Regional Highs School in Lakeville, as we as a member of the National Honor Society. He had enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The golf course owner said the victim had worked as a grounds crew member for several years, and called the incident “terrible and tragic.”
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September 5, 2010

Appropriate insurance coverage for college students critical in even of a Massachusetts personal injury claim

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Colleges and universities have a responsibility to keep campuses and dormitories safe for students, staff and visitors, but families also have a responsibility to protect their college-bound kids from personal liability as well.

With the Labor Day holiday over, students all over Massachusetts are packing up their cars and heading to school. According to a recent article in the Herald News, now is a good time for families to review their homeowner and auto insurance policies to make sure the kids, their stuff and their cars, are appropriately covered.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys realize that students and their families unknowingly can leave themselves at risk for personal injury liability. Unsafe dorm room conditions, a car accident, even engagement in “non-business pursuits” – like a pickup game of Frisbee-golf on the campus green space – all can leave families vulnerable to claims for property damage, even negligence, if insurance coverage doesn’t match an away-from-home student’s needs.

With that said, restrictions, standard limits and special requirements associated with individual homeowner insurance policies geared toward families with students away at school can fail to meet coverage needs. For students who have a higher-dollar property value associated with their dorm room or college apartment, investigating additional renter’s insurance can close their exposure gap.

Boston personal injury attorneys at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, LLC, have more than 18 years experience handling personal injury and auto accident claims. Our team understands how difficult it can be to deal with the physical, emotional and financial devastation that often accompanies being injured in a Massachusetts car accident or injury incident caused by someone else’s negligence.
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August 30, 2010

Boston scooter accident kills emergency room physician

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A local emergency room physician died Friday in a Boston scooter accident, prompting renewed debate over scooter safety in the city, the Boston Herald reported.

Scooters are too often bought or rented as a fun diversion. And they are frequently seen as harmless toys by riders and motorists alike. In fact, they are as dangerous as motorcycles. And statistics show that riders are 18 times more likely to be killed in a Massachusetts motorcycle accident than as a motorist in a passenger car.

“Motor scooters when ridden in the confines of the law are very safe, but people need to be aware of the conditions around them,” John Paul, a manager of traffic safety for AAA, told the Herald. “People need to drive defensively – which is probably an understatement. You have to be as aware as possible. You have to be as aware as you can be of everything around you, just like you do in any vehicle.”

On Friday, a 50-year-old Brigham and Women’s Hospital emergency room doctor and father of three was struck and killed while riding a Zeco scooter on Beacon Street. The accident remains under investigation and no charges have been filed.

While the little bikes can be handy for zipping through traffic, they can also be deadly in the event of an accident. Still, their popularity has skyrocketed in recent years.

Scooter riders should ride defensively, watch for opening car doors, parked cars and driver’s blind spots. Motorists should remain cautious around the scooters and treat them as you would a pedestrian because they are just as vulnerable.
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July 19, 2010

Boston car accident involving Duck Boat latest in a series of crashes involving the tourism industry

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A Boston car accident injured five people and involved seven vehicles and a duck boat on Friday afternoon, the Boston Herald reported.

It was second duck boat accident in Boston last week. A boat and two cars were involved in an accident near Government Center on Tuesday when three women on their way to a wedding tried to drive around a duck boat.

Friday’s accident occurred shortly after noon on the ramp to Charles Street Circle from Embankment Road westbound, according to the Massachusetts State Police.

Police said seven vehicles were towed from the scene and the injured were transported to area hospitals. A manager of Boston Duck Tours said a piece of radio equipment on the boat dislodged and blocked the brake pedal.

The boat was taken to the Boston State Police barracks for inspection by the commercial vehicle enforcement team. Mechanical error and operator error will both be investigated as possible causes.

This incident is the latest in a recent string of mishaps involving the tourism industry. As we reported on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, a tour boat ran aground in Boston Harbor over the Fourth of July weekend, resulting in the evacuation of all 174 passengers and crew members on board.
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June 30, 2010

Boston injury lawyers wish you a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July holiday

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Boston Injury Lawyer Jeffrey S. Glassman and the staff at our law offices wish all of you a safe and happy Fourth of July holiday. Please do your part to celebrate responsibly, which means don’t drink and drive, practice safe driving and safe boating, and leave the fireworks to the professionals.

Fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts but that won’t stop many from traveling to Rhode Island where some fireworks have been legalized. The Boston Globe reports that Massachusetts is one of only four states where fireworks remain illegal.

While the Globe article makes light of the risk associated with fireworks, the fact of the matter is that fireworks accidents are a real danger around the Fourth of July. In 2006, 11 people were killed and more than 9,200 were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than two-thirds of fireworks injuries occur around the Fourth of July.

-One-third of all fireworks injuries involve children under the age of 15 and nearly half of all fireworks accidents involve victims under the age of 20. The most frequent injuries reported involve the hands and eyes, as well as the head, face and ears. More than half of all injuries involve burns. Other common injuries associated with fireworks include contusions, lacerations, and foreign objects in the eyes. Fireworks injuries are associated with blindness, third-degree burns and permanent scaring.

-Firecrackers cause the most injuries, followed by sparklers and rockets. More than one-third of all fireworks-related deaths involve professional-grade fireworks that are sold to consumers.

-Common causes of injuries include the availability of high-grade fireworks being sold to novice users, being too close to fireworks, operator error, child curiosity and experimentation with homemade devices.

Residents and guests who are injured by fireworks, whether on private property or at a professional fireworks display, may be able to seek damages to recover the cost of medical care, lost wages, pain and suffering and other losses that result from a fireworks accident in Massachusetts.
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