Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog
At 5 pm on Thursday, April 12, 2018, an elderly man almost lost his life when he collided with 
the highway medium. His vehicle continued onto the breakdown lane before coming to a stop on the bridge above a railroad crossing. The elderly man drove off the I-495 in Raynham and his vehicle ended up perched off the bridge nearly falling onto the railroad crossing.
Firemen were called to the scene to remove the man from his vehicle before it toppled over and avoid a 30 foot fall. The fireman secured the SUV and safely removed the man. Witnesses observed that the man had been using an oxygen support device while driving. He was driven to Brockton’s Good Samaritan Medical Center.
Elderly Drivers Car Accidents
Elderly drivers want to maintain their independence as long as possible. However, it can result in liability to the driver if their health causes an accident that injures another. If an elderly driver, or the owner of the vehicle, have reason to know that it may not be safe for the elder driver to continue to operate a motor vehicle they will be liable to any potential victim. The family members of the elderly driver need to take special care that they are both protecting the elderly driver and the public.
Negligence lawsuits for car accident personal injuries can also be filed against a family member even if they were not driving. This occurs when the family member owns the vehicle that was involved in the car accident. If the family member entrusted the vehicle to the elderly driver knowing that the elderly driver was not safe, then the family member was acting negligently.
However, where as the elderly man above, an elder driver is relying on some medical device and that fails, the victim would have a claim against the manufacturer of the device. Both the elder driver who is potentially injured, and any other injured parties if there were multiple vehicles would have such a claim. This would be a products liability case.
If you were injured because a medical device failed or you believe an elderly driver was negligent, please contact the Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers at (617) 777-7777 and tell us your story.
Note for readers: Information provided in this post is gathered from secondary sources and not independently confirmed for accuracy. Please bring to our attention any inaccuracies that may be included so they may be corrected, or information removed as requested.
DISCLAIMER: Information provided in this post is not intended to be used as legal or medical advice, nor disrespect the victims or families in any way. We are providing this post for general information on everyday tragedies and presented in a manner to protect and honor the victims and their families. Minor differences can change the outcome of cases, based on jurisdictional laws. The information provided in this post should not be relied upon as legal or medical advice. We suggest seeking assistance from legal or medical professionals for your personal circumstance, when necessary.