Articles Posted in Personal Injury

Eight people were killed and dozens injured recently when gas explosion leveled two five-story buildings. The specific cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but the National Transportation Safety Board believes that a natural gas leak was the reason for the blast. A crack in an eight-inch gas pipeline that runs next to one of the two demolished apartments may have been the source of the leak.

This incident occurred in East Harlem, but the reality is that it could happen anywhere as the gas pipe was part of a system that is over 100 years old and which spreads throughout the United States. Boston premises liability lawyers can represent victims who sustain injuries if a similar gas leak explosion occurs in the Massachusetts area, which is an unfortunate possibility due to the fact that the state has some of the oldest and most dangerous pipes in the nation.
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Serious injuries and fatal accidents have been linked to hazing rituals on college campuses nationwide. Fraternity organizations and college campuses can be held liability in some personal injury and wrongful death cases. Our personal injury attorneys in Boston are committed to representing victims and their families in cases involving hazing rituals. We know that every case is unique and involves competing stories and various facts and circumstances. Despite the challenges of fraternity hazing cases, our attorneys know how to investigate injuries to college students and will take every necessary step to hold accountable the individuals and entities identified as responsible.

In a recent Massachusetts case, the hazing death of a Baruch College Freshman was ruled a homicide. According to reports, the 19-year-old college freshman died following a traumatic head injury while pledging to become a member of Pi Delta Psi in December. The coroner ruled the death a homicide after the victim was blindfolded in a violent game and forced to carry a sand backpack while members jumped on him as he as trying to walk. At some point, the pledge went unconscious.
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Fall injuries are on pace to become a leading cause of trauma-related deaths in the United States, and falls currently cause thousands of people to get badly hurt in the Boston area each year. To help combat this problem, the Boston Globe recently published an article with some balance exercises that people could do to reduce their risk of a fall.

While these exercises may be helpful to some, the sad fact is that falls are often caused by the negligence or wrongdoing of others and not by anything that the victim did or didn’t do. Balance exercises only go so far to prevent a fall, especially among vulnerable populations. Property owners, and especially nursing home operators, have a duty to prevent falls from happening and should be held liable if they fail to live up to this obligation. A Boston injury lawyer can help victims who have been harmed by a fall to take legal action and pursue a claim for damages.
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In Massachusetts, Burn Injury Awareness week was held in early February to remind the public of the serious risks of burn accidents. While burns are most often attributed to fires, the reality is that fire is not the leading cause of burns in Massachusetts. Instead, as WWLP reports, the leading burn injury cause is hot liquids scalding kids under the age of five.

Young children and the elderly are generally considered to have the greatest risk of suffering a burn injury, although burns are also very common in certain workplaces as well. No matter what age someone is or how a burn happens, burn injuries have something in common: these injuries are often very painful and very expensive to treat. Prevention should be a top goal, and those who do sustain a burn injury should speak with a Boston injury lawyer for help as soon as possible to ensure they have the money they need for plastic surgery and other treatments.
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A recent skiing accident took the life of a 19-year-old, according to CBS Boston. The accident happened around 11:00 a.m. when the silkier lost control at a trail intersection and slammed into a trail sign. She was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Skiing and snowboarding are less dangerous than other high-energy participation sports, and less so than some common activities. However, skiing and snowboarding are still challenging and require physical skills only learned over time with practice. The sports involve some inherent risk, but in some measure, it is the thrill that entices most skiers and riders to pursue it. Even with the attendant risks, the health and fitness benefits of skiing and snowboarding are enjoyed by people of all ages across the slopes each season.

Our Boston personal injury lawyers note over the last decade, more than 40 people have died each year before of skiing/snowboarding accidents. During the 2011/2012 season, officials recorded 54 fatalities. Close to 40 of these were skiers and 12 were snowboarders. Improvements to equipment have led to reductions in injury rates. For instance the introduction of quick release mechanisms dramatically cut the number of lower leg fractures, while smarter ski design is helping the downward injury trend in the alpine disciplines. But we’re not in the clear.
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Trauma centers across the county are reporting an increase in the number of fall-related accidents. According to Pain Medicine News, if the trend continues, these kinds of accidents could account for more injuries and fatalities than either firearms or traffic collisions.

According to the study, the number of car crashes has dropped more than 25 percent since 2002 because of the increase in car safety features, medical care and public awareness. That decrease has been offset by an increase in the number of deaths resulting from fall accidents, which are up more than 45 percent in an eight-year period.

Our Somerville personal injury lawyers understand that the total trauma-related mortality decreased by about 5 percent from 2002 to 2010. The decline happened even though we saw an increase in the number of miles driven by Americans and a 10 percent increase in the number of firearm injuries. The number of fatalities from firearms remained relatively the same, although the number of injuries resulting from firearms increased slightly.
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State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan and members of the Massachusetts fire service are concerned that the winter months will lead to an increase in fires from heating, open flames and other risks. Heating is the second leading cause of home fires in Massachusetts. It is important to Keep Warm, Keep Safe this winter.

During this time of the year, officials with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety remind residents to check their chimneys, furnaces, space heaters, and fire-prevention resources.

Our personal injury attorneys in Quincy understand that there are more than 900 people who are killed in winter home fires in the U.S. each and every year. These accidents cause more than $2 billion in property loss. More than 65 percent of these accidents happen in one- and two-family homes between the hours of 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. If you’re in an apartment or condo, do you know who will be responsible for the damages? Typically, your lease is signed by an officer of the cooperative corporation, as Lessor, and the shareholder, as Lessee, and contains, among other things, provisions regarding the responsibility for the repairs of both parties. A lease will generally provide that the lessee is responsible for maintaining and repairing the interior of the apartment, while the cooperative corporation will be obligated to maintain and repair all other parts of the building. A typical lease contains four paragraphs dealing directly with repairs: Lessor’s Repairs, Lessee’s Repairs, Damage to Apartment or Building, and the Right of Entry paragraph.
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It’s no secret that school liability and litigation has increased over the last few years. Bullying, sexual harassment, serious injury and wrongful death all present opportunities for large settlements or jury verdicts. At the same time, the number of negligence cases brought against schools in the U.S. has indicated that the frequency of these kinds of lawsuits has not changed much in the last 20 years. It seems also that the number of cases that were decided in the favor of the schools has taken majority.

Typically, our government protects schools from most cases of liability, but there are some exceptions that vary from state to state.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that there are close to 55 million children in the U.S. who spend about a fourth of their waking hours on school property or in class. Most of the injuries that occur are in fact accidents, despite the wide range of media coverage which tends to show more of the school violence and other relevant issues. As a matter of fact, children who are in school are about 9 times more likely to be affected by an unintentional injury than to be the victim of an intentional injury while on campus. With that being said, close to 15 million unintentional injuries happen each year to children under the age of 15. Close to a fourth of those happen in and around schools. About 1 out of every 14 of these students will visit the hospital with a disabling injury.
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As temperatures hit record lows nationwide, it is important to remember that winter storms create a host of safety issues. When out on the road, sending your children to the bus stop, or bundling up at home, there are ways that you can prepare for the worst when a winter storm hits. Remember that a winter storm can last for several days and you could face extreme weather conditions, including winds, freezing rain and sleet, an accumulation of snowfall, and dangerously cold temperatures. In addition to listening to the radio and television for winter storm warnings, you can also be prepared in advance to prevent winter storm accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

Our personal injury attorneys in Boston are aware of the severe risks and injuries related to winter storms. We are committed to raising public awareness to prevent such injuries and to help victims seek necessary medical attention and treatment. In addition to advocating for injured persons and their families, we are abreast of safety issues to help members of our community be prepared in the face of a winter storm.
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This week’s winter weather has bought inconvenience to many of our lives, to say nothing of the significant risks for weather-related mishaps. According to The Boston Globe, at 10,000 to 18,000 feet high in the atmosphere, strong winds carry weather systems, generally west to east in this part of the world. These belts of wind circle the globe. The highest level winds are known as the jet stream, but the winds at 10,000 feet are very important in moving cold and warm air. Arctic air pushing down from the north is responsible for this week’s terrible cold.

Throughout this weather, many residents throughout the country have lost power, and are feeling the dangerous cold. Many families have turned to generator power to warm up. According to the