Articles Posted in Car Accidents

An 82-year-old driver has been sentenced to serve six months on house arrest after submitting a guilty plea to motor-vehicle homicide in a Newton car accident that took the life of a female scooter driver. The retired Harvard Law School professor also had his driving privileges revoked for life and a three-year sentence of probation, according to ABC 5.

The elderly driver hit a 54-year-old female driving a Vespa brand scooter on Ward Street. Reports indicate that the elderly driver’s vehicle was traveling partially in the wrong lane. The woman on the Vespa was thrown approximately 80 feet upon impact. She was taken to a Boston hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

Our Massachusetts car accident attorneys understand that as we get older, driving may become more difficult. It’s an unfortunate and unavoidable part of life. It is important for us to recognize when our senses are deteriorating and when we’re no longer able to safely operate a motor vehicle. It is also important for us to keep an eye out for these kinds of symptoms in our loved ones to help ensure that they’re not endangering themselves or other motorists on our roadways.

Here are some signs that may help you to determine whether your driving abilities are safe:

-Stiffness or pain in your neck. This can make it difficult for you to look over your shoulder to check for oncoming cars before making a turn or switching lanes in traffic.

-Are other vehicles honking at you regularly?

-The feeling of leg pain. Pain in your leg can make it hard to move your foot to and from the gas and brake pedals.

-Losing strength in your arms. Weakening arm muscles make it difficult to make quick and hard turns effectively.

-Are you getting lost in places that were once familiar to you?

-Significantly slowed reaction time. Delayed reaction can make it difficult for a driver to see oncoming vehicles, whether they’re changing lanes, making turns or heading straight on. This can also make it difficult to judge when vehicles have slowed or stopped completely.

-Overwhelming feeling to traffic signals, road signs and other roadway markings. Often, elderly drivers will have a more difficult time paying attention to multiple activities at once.

-Have you been experiencing frequent “fender benders?”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were about 40 million residents in the United States over the age of 64 in 2009. These residents made up approximately 13 percent of the entire country’s population.

During the same year, there were nearly 5,300 elderly people killed in motor vehicle accidents on U.S. roadways. Another 187,000 elderly residents were injured in traffic accidents. Although this population makes up only 13 percent of the entire population in the U.S., they accounted for nearly 20 percent of all traffic fatalities and nearly 10 percent of all traffic accident injuries during the year. There were nearly 100 elderly residents killed in Massachusetts because of motor vehicle accidents in 2009.

A significant number of injuries and fatalities can be prevented if we keep an eye on our elderly loved ones. Elderly residents may not be able to spot any of the symptoms listed above. It is important to keep these factors in mind and to speak with them if you feel they’re putting themselves and other motorists in danger when they’re behind the wheel.
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“This year, I wanted to mark the one-year anniversary of me getting hit, with something, and it was all too convenient that Hub on Wheels was just five days after that anniversary. It made perfect sense,” said South Boston resident Jodi Sperber.

Sperber was involved in a Massachusetts bicycle accident last year on Route 20 and to celebrate her recovery and to help support our local riders, she’ll be participating in this year’s “Hub on Wheels” event. The 50-mile ride will take place on September 25th in Boston as a part of the mayor’s daylong celebration of bicycling, according to the Boston Globe.

Our Boston bicycling accident attorneys understand the risks that bicyclists face on our roadways statewide, which is why we see the importance in events such as the Hub on Wheels. During this event, riders and residents are invited to come out and enjoy the all-day celebration, with kid’s races, sport professionals, entertainment and educational programs to help beginner riders to learn about a bicyclist’s rules of the road. Professional riders will be on site to perform demonstrations showcasing their skills.

During Sperber’s bicycling accident, she was making her routine commute to Brandeis University, where she was attending classes in pursuit of her doctorate. The accident happened when she was blindsided by a car that was making a turn at an intersection.

It took her nearly a year to recover from the injuries she sustained in the accident, including broken toes and a broken wrist. The accident hasn’t stopped her, but she has gained more awareness. She says that she was always the safest rider, always wearing a helmet, stopping at all traffic lights and obey all road rules, but now she’ll be wearing brighter clothing, equipping her bike with more lights and will be riding more aggressively.

Sperber’s bike is her main form of transportation to and from her home in South Boston. She begs both bikers and motorists to be more aware of one another on our roadways.

“I think it’s just bikers not understanding the rules, just as much as drivers not understanding the rules,” says Sperber.

We would like to invite you to come out and participate in the 7th annual Hub On Wheels event. The main focus of this event is the citywide bike ride that will be taking place on Sunday, September 25th. Riders will be able to enjoy a car-free Storrow Drive, bike through the scenic Boston Harbor and explore hidden pathways and historic neighborhoods in our area.

The ride will both begin and end on City Hall Plaza in downtown Boston. There are three different bicycling routes that riders can choose from. There are 10-mile, 30-mile and 50- mile routes available to riders. Riders are urged to sign up now.
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A wild bear is taking all of the blame for a recent fatal car accident that sent seven motorists to the hospital, according to the Boston Herald. The two-vehicle accident happened at approximately 11:00 p.m. on Route 16. It all happened when a 225 pound bear strolled onto the roadway. An SUV swerved to avoid hitting the animal and ran into a passenger vehicle, which held a Winthrop and a Boston occupant. Rescue crews at the scene had to use the Jaws of Life to extract passengers from the mess. The three SUV passengers were taken to hospitals and are believed to be in stable condition while the two Massachusetts motorists were taken to Maine Medical Center and are believed to be in stable condition.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are more than 1.5 million car accidents in Massachusetts and elsewhere throughout the United States that involve deer or other large animals. The months of October through December typically mark deer season although you’re are at risk of hitting a wild animal all year long. It is during this time of year that we see many wild animal-car accidents, more than any other time of the year. For this reason, you should be extra careful when driving near forested areas or on any roadway where deer are prone to roam.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys would like to ask motorists to be extra cautious when traveling from the middle of fall all the way until the beginning of winter because this is typically when we see the most deer and wild animals near our Massachusetts roadways. This advice is especially important during dawn and dusk hours as these are times when animals are most likely to wander. It is also important to remember that animals don’t travel alone, so if you see one there’s likely to be more.

The more than 1.5 million car accidents we experience every year with wild animals in the United States cost about $1 billion in vehicle damage. Roughly 150 human lives are lost and another 10,000 injuries are sustained as a result of these accidents each year. We believe that these statistics are actually higher than reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because it’s assumed that not all incidents are reported.

Safe driving tips to avoid a car accident with a wild animal if you see one on the roadway:

-Avoid hitting the animal at all costs. If you plow through, you’re putting yourself in danger. Motorists can die in traffic accidents with wild animals.

-Turn off your head lights. They’re likely to be less shocked when you turn off your lights and will be more likely to jump out of the way just from the sound of your vehicle.

-If you can’t avoid a collision, at least try not to hit the animal straight on. Striking the animal at an angle will give it a greater chance of spinning away from your cars path.

-Try to slow your vehicle as much as possible as you’re approaching it. Hopefully this will allow the animal more time to get out of the way.

-Stay in your lane. Swerving to miss the animal is how a lot of people get into accidents with other vehicles. Do all that you can not to make a bad situation even worse.

-As contradictory as this sounds, speed up at the last possible moment. By speeding up, your vehicle’s front bumper will lift up and will reduce the chances of the animal hitting the vehicle and being sent over the top of the car.
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A two-vehicle accident landed a 40-year-old pickup truck passenger in a medical helicopter to a local Boston hospital recently. The man required immediate medical attention for his injuries caused by the accident. Upon collision, the passenger was thrown from a pickup truck that ended up rolling over twice. The Massachusetts car accident happened at South and West streets, according to The Sun Chronicle.

“He suffered serious head and chest injuries,” said fire Capt. David Laracy.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand how beneficial a hospital helicopter ride can be when dealing with life-threatening injuries. A helicopter ride to the hospital can often mean the difference between life and death. When a helicopter is used by UMass Memorial LifeFlight the on board crew of medical professionals is able to put its advanced skills and technology to work to keep a patient alive during the transport. There’s only one downside to this treatment and transportation — the cost. The average cost, according to The Metro West Daily News, ranges anywhere from about $2,600 to nearly $6,200 per flight. That’s only the cost of the ride alone. That doesn’t include any hospital treatment.

“They can do pretty much anything in the back of that aircraft they can do in the emergency room,” said Rory Duquette, director of communications for LifeFlight.

In this region, Boston MedFlight, UMass Memorial LifeFlight, the Dartmouth Hitchcock Advance Response Team, Life Net of New York and LifeFlight of Maine all work together as part of the North East Air Alliance.

The Worcester-based LifeFlight is the oldest air medical transport service in Massachusetts. Since it took off in 1982, LifeFlight has transported about 25,000 people.

According to the AAA Ambulance Service, medical costs resulting from injury exceeded $21 billion for motor vehicle-related injuries last year. These types of injuries only counted for about 20 percent of all medical costs attributable to injury. This doesn’t begin to examine the other costs associated with an injury.

Injuries not only affect direct medical costs, but they can contribute to higher insurance premiums, time away from work and other financial costs to individuals.

In a one-year period, traffic accident-related fatalities in the United States resulted in about $41 billion dollars in medical and work loss costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Traffic accident fatalities in Massachusetts cost about $400 million in 2005 alone. Roughly $6 million went to medical costs while the other $388 million went to work loss costs.

If you’re or a loved one has been involved in a car accident that has resulted in costly medical bills and lost work days, you’re urged to seek the advice and the assistance of an experienced attorney. A lawyer can help you to fight for the compensation to cover the high cost of medical care and rehabilitation.
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The development of a comprehensive, five-year Capital Maintenance Program (CMP) was recently ordered by Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Mullan.

His plan is to coordinate and enhance the current ongoing maintenance procedures that involve the many tunnels of the Metropolitan Highway System and to reduce tunnel car accidents in Boston.

“The tunnel system is proven safe, thanks to the professional maintenance crews working under comprehensive protocols every day to address the ongoing maintenance needs of the tunnels,” said Secretary Mullan. “Today we are taking the next step to develop a comprehensive five-year plan in order to better coordinate these efforts to ensure the tunnels remain safe for generations to come.”

Our Massachusetts car accident attorneys have been informed that MassDOT has recruited the infrastructure firm HNTB Corporation to help develop the CMP by the fall of 2011. The completion of this project will help to identify existing and future expected maintenance needs for the tunnel and help to estimate the costs necessary to implement solutions to ensure that the tunnels remain safe.

“MassDOT’s Highway Division will focus on the Capital Maintenance of the Metropolitan Highway system, including the CA/T, Ted Williams Tunnel, Sumner and Callahan tunnels, the Zakim and Tobin Bridges and all related ramps and roadways,” said MassDOT Acting Highway Division Administrator Frank DePaola. “It is our charge to keep all of these facilities in safe, good working order.”

Recently, MassDOT finished installing redundant support straps on all of the 25,000 or so fixtures in the Central Artery tunnels. This system was developed as an interim, 3-5 year solution to the current light corrosion issues to allow time for engineers to evaluate options for a long-term solution. This move was warranted when an engineer noticed a light fixture that was out of alignment with the clips on the right side of the light. That fixture was taken down immediately and new stainless steel clips were re-installed.

“On behalf of the MassDOT Board of Directors and MassDOT Highway Administrator Frank DePaola, I offer my appreciation and thanks to the crews that worked so diligently to complete this effort well ahead of projections to further ensure safety of the public,” said Secretary Mullan. “The completion of the strapping to ensure that a redundant system is now in place will go a long way to restoring public confidence in the safety of the system.”

The CMP will look into and respond to a number of recent tunnel issues, like securing and ultimately replacing light fixtures, recommending maintenance safety/emergency egress railing and the safety efforts regarding the ongoing water infiltration mitigation efforts.

Back in February, a light fixture in the Central Artery Tunnel fell from the ceiling on Route 92 Northbound near the entrance to the Ted Williams Tunnel. In the wake of this light fixture incident, MassDOT electricians performed a number of inspections of all of the tunnel light fixtures. During this time they searched for an interim solution to secure these fixtures. Strapping material has been used to secure nearly 400 fixtures to date.

As the CMP will also include suggestions regarding tunnel maintenance safety and the emergency egress railing, recommendations have been made from April 2011 that included a plan to get rid of the railing at a number of locations where they are not required to meet emergency egress requirements. Suggestions were also made to retrofit the existing railing with chain link fence mesh fabric around the outside curves and other high risk locations.

You can stay up to date with all MassDOT and CMP plans of the ongoing tunnel maintenance as the Transportation website offers this information.
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