Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog

September 13, 2012

Massachusetts Road Work Zones: Dangerous for Workers and Motorists!

There’s a lot of road work going on right now. We’ve got some beautiful weather for travelers and crews working to get jobs done before the onset of winter.

If you’ve hit the road in New England this summer, chances are you’ve seen work zones, you’ve seen the orange barrels and you’ve seen the roadside workers. They’re out there working to mow the grass on the side of the road, to fix pot holes and to build new bridges and new roads. They are working to make our Massachusetts family safer during their travels.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), driving dangerously through our state’s work zones not only jeopardizes the safety of roadside workers, but it also jeopardizes the safety of motorists. As a matter of fact, four out of every five people who are killed in work zone accidents are either the driver or the passenger of a passing vehicle. Some of the most common causes of these accidents is improper lane changes, driver fatigue and following too closely.

Our Massachusetts car accident lawyers are asking you to drive during off-peak hours whenever you can. This is not only to help keep you safe, but to help to keep roadside workers safe and to help to minimize traffic congestion. State workers often install concrete barrier walls during these kinds of projects to help to separate road traffic from construction crews. It’s also wise to make sure that all road work information is communicated to travelers. Roadside message boards should be used and workers should also wear highly-visible protective equipment. These areas should be policed with extra patrols and work areas should be cleaned up promptly.

When you’re driving through a work zone, it’s important to:

-Stay alert!

-Pay attention to speed limits.

-Beware of narrowing lanes.

-Be on the lookout for workers.

-Avoid tailgating other vehicles.

-Keep distractions out of the driver’s seat.

-Be ready for delays.

-Allow yourself with plenty of time to get through these areas.

-Select an alternate route whenever possible.

Keeping our work zones safe is a responsibility of everyone involved. We’re asking everyone in these areas to be safe and to use common sense when traveling through the busy fall months.

Those working in work zones are to make sure that the area has plenty of signage to alert passing motorists of the work that’s taking place and of the dangers present. There should also be barriers in these areas to help to keep workers away from passing traffic, according to MassDOT Work Zone Safety. It’s also a good idea to make sure that police are on site. This will help to address motorists who aren’t following the rules and to act as a deterrent to those who are thinking about breaking them.
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September 11, 2012

Boston Transit Safety: Happy Birthday MBTA – 115-Years-Old!

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) recently celebrated its 115th anniversary. It continues to be the country’s oldest subway system and officials with the Authority are not only proud of the early beginning of the system, they’re also proud of their continued efforts to advance it, modernize it and make it safer, according to the Boston Globe.

“It’s nice to be the oldest subway in the United States. And I also think we’re the most innovative,” MBTA’s Acting General Manager Jonathan Davis.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand how big of an impact the T has made on residents and visitors to the area. It has transported billions of people to where they need to be. Officials threw the T a birthday party at the Park Street Station. This is the location in which the first of two stations opened up in Boston back on September 1st of 1897. The other station was the Boylston Street Station.

One of the newest features on the T are the new countdown signs. These signs that tell riders when the train is expected to arrive. The signs arrived at South Station last month.

There has also been a pilot program working toward mobile ticketing on the commuter rail. This program will allow participating riders to use a free application that will let these riders purchase and display their tickets on their smartphones. The app isn’t expected to fully launch until the fall. It’ll be available for Blackberry, Andriod and iPhone users.

The T also revealed its latest ridership numbers too — the July figures. This is during the time when officials with the MBTA implemented their controversial service cuts and fare hikes. However, ridership only dropped by one-tenth of a percent from the same time the year before. Analysts predicted that there would be a near 6 percent decrease.

While ridership on the both the subway and on the RIDE paratransit service dropped, ridership on the commuter rail, on the bus and on the ferry increased. Each year, the T transports about 400 million — or close to 1.5 million each day.

Davis says that he has just one birthday wish for the T: That the system be 100 percent accessible for all riders and be adequately funded! We would like to wish the MBTA 100 more years of safe operations!
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September 8, 2012

2-Year-Old Girl Injured in New England ATV Accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

During a recent New England ATV accident, a 2-year-old girl was injured. According to the Boston Globe, a 25-year-old father rode with his 2-year-old daughter in front of him and wound up slamming into a tree.

Accident reports indicate that the throttle on the ATV got stuck and forced the ATV to speed out of control. The father and his daughter were thrown directly into a tree. Reportedly, the little girl was not wearing a helmet when the collision occurred. She was taken to the hospital and treated for injuries sustained to her face. The father was also transported to the hospital and treated for leg injuries. Officials are still investigating the accident.

Our Boston personal injury lawyers understand that ATVs can be dangerous for riders of all ages. There should never be a reason to strap a 2-year-old to your ATV. According to ATVSafety.gov, there were nearly 320 reported deaths for ATV accidents in the U.S. in 2010 alone. In addition, there were another 120,000 people injured in these incidents. During this time, nearly 60 of these fatalities were of those who were under the age of 16. Of this young age group, nearly 28,500 of them were young riders. Young people accounted for about a quarter of all riders who were injured in these kinds of accidents and nearly 20 percent of those who were killed.

So why are these vehicles so dangerous? Well, they pack a lot of speed and power and when they’re on uneven or steep terrain or when they’re operated improperly, accidents can result. Some of the very first ATVs were merely seven horsepower. These days, they can come as high as 500 horsepower.

Most of the accidents and injuries that involve ATVs are in fact high-energy trauma. Still, there are thousands of injuries that officials believe are never reported.

Of those who are required to get medical treatment following an ATV accident, the most common injuries are musculoskeletal, fractures and spinal cord injuries (SCI). As a matter of fact, there was a near 250 percent increase in the number of ATV accidents among young riders in recent years. What’s even worse is that there was a more than 475 percent increase in the number of spinal cord injuries resulting from these accidents.

What it all comes down to is that young riders don’t have the motor control, the body mass or the strength to handle these powerful vehicles. The younger the rider the more likely an accident and injury. If you have any young riders in your family, make sure they’re on an ATV that’s specifically designed for their age and their size. Always provide them with supervision and the proper safety gear. And make them complete a rider safety course.
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September 6, 2012

Get Out of the Intersection! Boston Campaign Targets Traffic Squatters!

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Recently, drivers in the City of Boston were introduced to the “Don’t Block the Box” campaign. This is an education and enforcement effort that’s being used to help to stop gridlock and to improve traffic safety for both motorists and pedestrians.

The campaign focuses on our city’s busy intersections. This effort is a product of officials of the City of Boston in collaboration with those at MASCO.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that this campaign will be focused on about 20 intersections in the area. The campaign is being used to enforce the traffic law that says that a driver can’t enter an intersection if they’re not able to safely pass all the way through to the other side. If you’re busted lingering in an intersection because you don’t have enough space to pass through, then officers can slap you with a fine of $150. But more importantly than the citation and the fine is the risk that you’re creating for a potentially fatal car accident.

“A combination of new initiatives and hard work has helped to keep our local streets from being clogged with bumper to bumper traffic every day of the week,” said the city’s Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

There have been a number of programs launched in the area to help to get people out of their vehicles and to choose more effective ways to get around, like bicycles or pedestrian traffic. The City has even pushed the use of scooters. Whichever way you may choose, officials are hoping fewer drivers hit the streets and work to not only make our roadways less congested for everyone, but safer for all as well.

Drivers who keep blocking city intersections pose a serious threat to bicyclists and pedestrians as well as people who are in wheelchairs. This is such a threat because gridlock traffic blocks the crosswalks and interrupts the “walk” cycles at these intersections.

MASCO Senior Transportation Planner, Tom Yardley, says it is important drivers recognize the need for compliance and the need for public safety. Cars and trucks that unsafely enter an intersection create not only a traffic jam, but risks to sidewalk travelers and for emergency response teams should they need to pass. It’s an idea that’s been agreed on by officials of all kinds across the state, we need to work harder to raise awareness and to increase enforcement against this dangerous and irresponsible driving behavior.

This enforcement effort and campaign is all a part of Massachusetts General Laws, which reads that drivers cannot pass through an intersection if they cannot do so safely without stopping. If they can’t do it, then they have to wait for another cycle and for the green light to turn once again.
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September 4, 2012

Officers Set Out on Bikes in Boston, Providing Quicker Service

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The “Bikes on the Beat” initiative is back, according to the Boston Inspectional Services Department. Last month, Code Enforcement Officers attended a three-day bike training course at the Boston Police Training Facility. Those who completed the course are now certified in instruction of bike usage, bike safety as well as bike safety precautions, including eye protection, gloves, knee pads, helmets and other protective measures.

According to the City of Boston, these officers will be hitting densely populated Boston areas, including Downtown Boston, the South End, Beacon Hill and Back Bay, on their city bikes. The purpose is to help to ensure a quick and timely response to emergency calls in these densely populated areas. These bicycling officers will be able to cut through the congested areas at a high-rate of speed and will help to increase the visibility of our area’s law enforcement.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that these officers won’t be the only two-wheeled travelers on our roadways. During this time of year, the bike and on-foot traffic is plentiful. Travelers of all kinds are urged to be cautious out there. It’s these travelers that are most likely to be seriously injured or killed in the event of a traffic accident. We all need to work together to help to preserve the safety of our streets.

“This is a great program that will connect my staff with the general public on a daily basis,” said Mayor Menino.

With the increase in bicyclist traffic in the area during this time of the year, we also see an increase in the risks for these kinds of accidents. Oftentimes, these travelers are overlooked on our roadways and accidents result. Drivers are asked to be cautious and aware of their surroundings while traveling along our congested roadways. Your responsible driving habits can help to keep our residents and visitors safe.

According to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were nearly 620 bicyclists killed in traffic accidents in the U.S. in 2010. To make matters even worse, there were another 52,000 of these vulnerable riders injured in these same incidents.

To help protect these travelers, officials with the City of Boston ask that drivers consider the following:

-Never travel in a bike lane.

-Always look around for passing bicyclists before you open the door to your vehicle.

-Be sure to pass bicyclists slowly.

-Make sure you allow bicyclists with at least 4 feet of space when passing.

-Always use your turn signals. Make your maneuvers as predictable as possible.

-Always check your mirrors and your blind spots, especially before making a move in traffic.

-Allow bicyclists the entire lane if necessary.

-Don’t get distracted by using your cell phone.
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August 31, 2012

Electronics Causing Pedestrian Accidents in Massachusetts?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

You can’t rely on drivers. The truth of the matter is that defensive walking habits may be your best bet in staying out of a potentially fatal accident, especially if you’re walking near vehicular traffic.

Just as we stress the importance of paying attention behind the wheel, it’s equally important to pay attention to your surroundings when you’re walking around town. According to safety officials, it’s a growing problem and it’s putting far too many people at unnecessary and preventable risks.

We are talking about distracted walking.

According to USA TODAY, the number of people who landed in an emergency room after being involved in an accident while engaging in distractions has quadrupled over the last seven years. Unfortunately, these hospital reports are some of the only records. Transportation officials don’t keep stats on distracted walking accidents in Boston and elsewhere and therefor have no idea how serious the problem really is.

“With the smartphone technology these days and everything at your fingertips, it’s almost getting to be an obsession or a compulsion with people,” said Jim Fox, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s director of system safety and risk management.

According to what we do know, there were nearly 1,200 people who were treated in an emergency room because they suffered injuries from walking while engaging in an electronic distraction. Unfortunately, this is a statistics that officials think is actually much higher, saying that in most cases distractions are never reported by the victim.

Risks for pedestrians all around are getting worse. In 2010, the number of pedestrian fatalities increased by more than 4 percent and the number on injuries rose by nearly 20 percent. These numbers are only expected to increase more. Travelers beware!

Recent psychological studies show that most people aren’t able to focus on more than one thing at a time. When someone tries, their attention shifts back and forth from each activity and performance suffers. But just like drivers, pedestrians think that they’re safe to do both at once. When this happens, walkers can’t effectively keep their eye on the traffic and other surrounding hazards, leaving them an open target for an accident.

Just take a look at the recent headlines. Pedestrians are falling off curbs, they’re walking into fountains and they’re slamming into poles. You’re urged to keep an eye on your surroundings. Lookout for nearby motor vehicle traffic. By practicing safe and defensive walking habits and by staying one step ahead of the traffic around you, you can help to keep yourself out of a potentially fatal accident.

This is especially important in areas like Boston. In areas where pedestrians are likely to be found, so are the risks for these kinds of accidents.
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August 26, 2012

Millions Offered to States with Primary Distracted Driving Laws

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There’s a lot of money up for grabs and there’s only one simple thing each state has to do to get it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is giving out more than $17 million to states that have comprehensive, primary laws against distracted driving during the 2013 fiscal year, according to TruckingInfo.com.

According to the most recent statistics, there were close to 3,100 people who died in distracted driving car accidents. Another 420,000 people were injured in these same incidents.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that distracted driving, cell phone use and text messaging behind the wheel in particular, is a growing epidemic throughout the country. Slowly, state by state has enacted laws against this dangerous driving behavior but motorists aren’t always obeying. In the state of Massachusetts, it is illegal for a driver under the age of 18-years-old to talk on a hand-held cell phone while driving. It is also illegal for all drivers to text message behind the wheel, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

“This new grant program will provide states that have distracted driving laws with important resources to help save lives and prevent injuries,” said USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

The funds have been set aside under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, which was recently passed by Congress.

For a state to qualify to get some of this money, it has to make sure that it has one of these laws in the 2013 fiscal year. It’s important that these laws are primary and not secondary, which means that an officer can pull over and cite a driver solely for disobeying this law. States that only have secondary distracted driving laws are not eligible.

In addition, congress has also freed up another $5 million for officials with the NHTSA to use to create advertising tools to support the enforcement and awareness efforts of these laws.

Enforcement and awareness efforts, whether for distracted driving, drunk driving or seat belt use, have been proven to be effective in getting drivers to listed and to help to reduce the risks of car accidents on roadways nationwide.

Each state has 45 days upon publication in the Federal Register to apply for these funds.

Regardless of what our laws might be, all drivers are urged to remain safe and focused behind the wheel. There should never be a time when you take your hands off of the wheel or your eyes off of the road, especially when it’s only for a phone call or for a text message. This is a move that could potentially wind up ending your life or taking the life of someone else. Keep your phone in the glove compartment or in the back seat to avoid the temptation. You can help to make our roadways safer, and it starts by keeping your attention on the road!
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August 26, 2012

Young Baseball Players Suffers Permanent Brain Damage After Game Injury

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A young little league player is suffering from permanent and debilitating injuries from a line drive during a recent games. The family of the young boy went after the manufacturer of the bat used in the game to collect compensation for the injuries. They were recently granted close to $15 million from Little League Baseball. The young player was left brain-damaged after he was hit by the line drive off a metal bat. The family of the injured player said that this never would have happened, and would have been less severe, if wooden bats were used instead of metal bats, according to ESPN New York.

“This settlement provides them with some relief and comfort that Steven will get the care he needs for the rest of his life,” said the family’s attorney.

Our Boston sports injury attorneys understand that there are about 30 million kids and teenagers who participate in some form of organized sports. There are also about 4 million injuries that occur from these sporting events, too! While the most common injury from sporting events are strains and sprains, brain injury continues to the number one cause of sports-related fatalities among children, according to the Boston Children’s Hospital. Many of these injuries are the rest of collisions, being hit by an object, overexertion and falls. It’s not all about the games either. Roughly 60 percent of organized sports-related injuries happen during practice. About 20 percent of kids who play sports are injured every year. About a fourth of these injuries are considered to be serious.

According to the president of Little League Baseball Inc., the family will receive the funds that they need to ensure that they can cover the lifetime care that he will require as a result of this unfortunately accident. He adds that this type of accident is not likely in baseball among this age.

The tragic event happened when the young player was pitching. The batter swung at his pitch and sent a line drive right into the young pitcher’s chest. Unfortunately, it struck him at that exact millisecond between heartbeats and sent him immediately into cardiac arrest. He fell to the ground and stopped breathing. A nearby professional conducted cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him until medical response teams could arrive.

Paramedics put an oxygen mask on him and rushed him to a hospital. Unfortunately by that time, the damage was already done to his brain as it had been without oxygen for nearby 20 minutes.

Children between the ages of 5- and 14-years old account for nearly half of all sports-related injuries that are treated in emergency rooms every year. The severity of sports-related injuries increases as they age, too! The highest rates for these injuries are for boy. For them, the highest rates of injury, in regards to sports, are ice soccer, hockey and rugby.
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August 23, 2012

Are You Seating Your Child Properly in A Car Seat?

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

You hear it over and over again — BUCKLE UP! Still, far too many drivers aren’t wearing their seat belt. According to a recent study from the University of Michigan, parents and other childcare providers aren’t buckling up their kids either! And when child restraints are used, they’re oftentimes used improperly. This varies between ethnic groups too, according to the study.

RedOrbit reports that car accidents continue to be the leading cause of death for kids in the U.S. who are under the age of 3-years-old. This wouldn’t be the case if more parents and guardians properly buckled in their kids. It’s a problem that only you can fix!

Our Boston child injury attorneys understand that kids face some of the highest risks for injury and death in the event of a car accident. Their little bodies can’t sustain the impact of a collision as well as our adult bodies. Parents and guardians are urged to review the most recent Guidelines for Child Passenger Safety from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“Selecting the right seat for your child can be a challenge for many parents. NHTSA’s new revised guidelines will help consumers pick the appropriate seat for their child,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.

The study looked at more than 21,000 kids in vehicles and determined that far too many of them were seated correctly in a child’s car safety seat. WebMD reports that as children aged, they were less likely to be properly buckled in. At the same time, there were a higher proportion of minority children who were moved to using an adult seat belt before they were ready. In vehicles where the driver was not wearing a seat belt, the children were 25 times more likely to not be buckled in either.

“We found that few children remain rear-facing after age 1, fewer than 2% use a booster seat after age 7, many over age six sit in the front seat,” said Dr. Michelle L. Macy, an author of the study.

You should never move your child to the next phase of child seating before their ready. You want to keep your child in their car seat for as long as you can, or for as long as they’re within the height and weight limitations of the seat set forth by the seat’s manufacturer. Their safety and their well-bring depends on it. You have the ability to protect these young ones and to help to keep them safe in the event of a car accident.

Parents are urged to review the child seat recommendations before seating your child in the car. It’s also important that you read the guidelines from the car seat manufacturer. Consider visiting a child seat inspection station in the area to make sure that your child’s seat is properly and safely installed.
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August 21, 2012

IIHS Crash Test Highlights Safety Faults of Luxury Vehicles

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Crash ratings should be one of the key points you consider when purchasing a new car. Unfortunately, many of the midsize luxury cars, including the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, didn’t do so well in the new frontal crash test that was developed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the crash test has been developed to see what happens when a car hits another car or a fixed object. The test hits about a quarter of the vehicle’s front end by running it into a 5-foot rigid barrier at 40 miles per hour.

The results do not bode well for non-luxury models either. They’re up next for the new test.

These kind of tests and the results that they produce are highly beneficial to car manufacturers as they’re oftentimes used to make changes in vehicles’ designs and their safety features. And of course to advertise their safety and success.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand how crucial these test results are for those who are looking into buying a new car. The result of this test and various other tests can be found on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety‘s website.

Before setting out to get a new car, you’re going to want to know about its crashworthiness, meaning you want to know how well it’s going to be able to protect you in the event of an accident. Officials with the IIHS rate these cars with the various ratings, including good, acceptable, marginal or poor. They test how vehicles handle in a rollover test, high-speed front and side crash tests as well as evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts. Manufacturers will have to return to the drawing board to find ways to correct the flaws and make the cars safer and more appealing to consumers.

In the most recent test, officials looked at 11 cars. Of these cars, only the Infiniti G, the Volvo S60 and the Acura were marked with good or acceptable ratings.

Many other vehicles, including the Volkswagen CC, the Lincoln MKZ, the BWM 3 Series and the Acura TSX came through with only marginal ratings.

Among the vehicles with poor ratings were the Lexus ES 350, the Audi A4, the Lexus IS 250 and the Mercedes C-Class.

Officials say that the results of this new test show that these vehicles’ side airbags are OK for T-bone accidents, but not for off-center ones. They say there’s a chance the bag won’t go off until it’s too late.

In three of the cars, including the Volkswagen, the Mercedes and the BMW, the seat belts spooled out too much slack after an accident. The dummies in the vehicle were tossed around the cars because of it.

The door of the Volkswagen was sheared off during the test.

“With this new test, the institute has raised the bar again and we will respond to this challenge as we design new vehicles,” said officials with Toyota.
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