On May 4, emergency personnel rescued people trapped in a collapse at the Edison Power Plant building in South Boston, according to officials.Update: Firefighters Injured in Building Fire

A spokesperson for the Boston Police Department said officers had been called to 776 Summer Street for a partial building collapse with “multiple people” trapped inside.

News reports showed Boston police, fire, and EMS personnel at the scene.

Community seeks answers for the cause of deadly boat accident

Bostonians are mourning the loss of a 27-year-old woman killed in a boat crash in Boston Harbor on July 17 and seeking information about the accident.

Jeanica Julce of Somerville died after the boat she was on crashed into a “day marker” buoy around 3 a.m., tossing her and the seven other people on board into the water.

A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries has determined that more adults are dying in bicycle crashes. bicycle-ocean-300x169

Notably, the study, which analyzed data from 2009 to 2018, also found that:

  • Doctors treated approximately 600,000 individuals for bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries in hospital emergency rooms in the United States.

May is National Bike Month, and it’s being celebrated in Boston and other cities and towns across thebicycle12-300x199 country.

The initiative includes challenges and events that highlight the benefits of bicycling to encourage more people to give bicycling a try, regardless of whether they are riding a bicycle to commute to work or with their families for fun and fitness.

Like the group says on its website: “Life is better for everyone when more people ride bikes.”

In recent years, the construction industry has been thriving in the greater Boston area. Construction in Boston, Quincy, and front-end-loader-opt-300x200Cambridge came in at a whopping $14.3 billion in 2018, up 20% from the previous year, according to a recent report.

As new construction sites pop up in the area, new hazards emerge, posing threats to workers and pedestrians passing by. Backover accidents are, particularly on the rise.  Backover accidents are crashes that occur when a driver reverses into and injures or kills a pedestrian. The pedestrian may be another construction worker or a nearby civilian.

Worksites utilizing heavy equipment increase the risks of back up maneuver accidents. Heavy equipment operators often cannot see what is happening behind them when they back up and drive in reverse. These workers sit high above the ground, impairing their ability to see what’s happening at ground level. They rely on spotters and other devices to ensure the vehicle’s enormous blind spots are accounted for.

In fact, statistics indicate that approximately 30% of construction accidents occur when vehicles and heavy machinery are backing up.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates approximately 210 workers were struck by and killed from backing vehicles between 2011 and 2013, another 15,000 were injured.

In 2014, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reviewed reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and found 443 construction accidents from 2003 to 2010 due to backover accidents on construction worksites. Continue reading

Whether you have recently taken up biking during the pandemic or are a seasoned pro, the bicycling lawyers at the Law Offices Belmont car-bicycle collision injuriesof Jeffrey S. Glassman have some safety tips for biking in the age of coronavirus.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed life as we know it. Because people are working from home and not going out as much as they once did, the roads around Boston and other cities around the country have experienced a drop in traffic.

Across Massachusetts, there has been a 20% decrease in vehicles on the road when compared to last year with Boston showing a drop of nearly 50%.

With less congested roadways coupled with public transit options that make it hard to social distance, people are looking for new ways to get around and stay in shape.  This has to create a boom in bicycling. Experienced bicyclists are taking to the streets more often while those new to biking are going out and buying new bikes and gear.  In fact, many big-box department stores are sold out of bikes while local bike shops are reporting a surge in sales. Some have even compared bicycles to toilet paper, which was in high demand at the beginning of the pandemic. Continue reading

Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers joins with those throughout Massachusetts and the nation in supreme courtmourning the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Ginsburg, who may have been small in stature, was hailed as a “giant” of constitutional law. She was not only one of the most influential judges in history but became a feminist idol and icon known by three initials—RBG.

Ginsburg spent her career fighting for gender equality and amplifying rights for women and minorities. She is considered the architect of the legal movement that resulted in protections for women under the Constitution. Justice Ginsburg believed in a living Constitution, an interpretation in which the Constitution is viewed as a document that adapts and evolves over time. Continue reading

According to a new report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. child drownings are on the rise.swimming pool and little girl

And these drownings tend to occur right at home in residential swimming pools.

“Our latest report confirms that most child drownings take place at home during the summer months,” CPSC said in a June 3, 2020, statement.

The report attributes the bulk of child drownings to inadequate adult supervision, which underscores the importance of continuous, vigilant supervision when children are swimming or even near a pool or other body of water. Drownings can occur in any body of water, including in-ground pools, above-ground pools, spas, hot tubs, wading pools, portable pools, and kiddie pools. Continue reading

On May 14, 2020 the Chief Justices of the Supreme Judicial, Appeals, and Trial Court came together and provided “tentative” plans for the months ahead. They acknowledged that it will be a work in progress depending on the number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as well as any new orders on the State of Emergency.u-s-supreme-court-hallway-658238-m-300x225

KEEPING YOU INFORMED

It is important to ensure the safety of the court employees and the public before moving forward given that approximately 40,000 persons a day entered Massachusetts courtrooms. Since we are “all in this together”, we say thank you to the Justices for working to find solutions that protect not only the public but also the law and the rights of the people.

As of now courthouses will remain physically closed through June. It is expected that the courthouses will open physically this summer in stages and then only for certain matters that require an in-person appearance. Despite the closure, the Trial Court will continue, for the foreseeable future, to attempt to handle most matters that do not require an in-person appearance virtually. Continue reading

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation recently reported that while there was 50% less Accident Reported in Carvertraffic on Massachusetts roadways in April 2020 there were still 28 fatalities. In April 2019 with twice the amount of traffic, there were 27 fatalities meaning the fatality rate doubled in April 2020.

Excessive speed is a leading cause of fatalities. “Reduced traffic volume is no excuse for excessive speed,” said Jeff Larason, Director of Highway Safety for the Executive Office of Safety and Security.  “We’re reminding everyone to drive responsibly, wear a seat belt, and watch the road for cyclists and pedestrians.”

The Law Office of Jeffrey S. Glassman, LLC has represented thousands of car crash victims over the last 25 years. If you or a loved is a victim of a speeding or dangerous driver please let us help. Call 617-367-2900 or contact us online.

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