Boston Injury Lawyer Blog

Approximately 87,000 Massachusetts drivers have been in at least two motor vehicle accidents from 2002 through June 2007. 8,400 of these drivers have been in three crashes. Some 1,100 were in four auto collisions. Some 220 people have been in at least five accidents. Yet a number of these drivers continue to return to the roads. There are 4.7 million Massachusetts drivers.

The Boston Globe looked at 750,000 accident records from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. According to the study:

• Males are more frequently involved in motor vehicle accidents than females.
• Drivers 25 years of age and under are involved in 30% of the crashes.
• Fridays, after midnight, and after rush hour are the times when accidents are most likely to occur.

According to state and public safety officials, common causes of motor vehicle accidents in Massachusetts include:

• Negligence
• Aggressive driving
• Driver inexperience
• Bad road designs
• Bad weather

In one recent deadly hit and run accident, the driver, Craig P. Bigos had at least six tickets and two motor vehicle crashes on his driving record. He was also driving with an expired license. Bigos allegedly hit a 13-year-old pedestrian while text messaging. He faces a motor vehicle homicide charge.

In 2004, a repeat offender heading to a methadone clinic struck a 55-year-old man in Kingston. In 2005, a 76-year-old Upton farmer, who has been in five accidents in six years, drove his tractor into a truck driven be an off-duty cop.

The people who suffer the most in car crashes, bus accidents, truck collisions, and pedestrian accidents are usually the ones who had nothing to do with causing the accidents. The injuries, deaths, and pain and suffering of the victims and their loved ones cannot be measured. They can, however, speak to a Massachusetts personal injury lawyer to determine whether they are entitled to receive compensation for the harm that was done to them.

Accidents waiting to happen, Boston.com, February 10, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles

2004-2006 Massachusetts Crash Statistics

Continue reading "Thousands of Massachusetts Drivers Have Been Involved In Multiple Motor Vehicle Accidents " »

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Posted In: Bus Accidents , Car Accidents , Pedestrian Accidents , Personal Injury , Truck Accidents , Wrongful Death

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A coalition of truck safety advocates are asking a federal court to overturn a ruling that allows truck drivers to drive one more hour before taking a break. A new rule, introduced by the Bush Administration in 2003 had increase the number of hours that a commercial trucker can drive during a 14-hour period—from 10 hours to 11 hours—before taking a break.

Parents Against Tired Truckers says that a person’s response reflexes are up to 50% slower after 17 hours without sleep. Driver fatigue is a major cause of truck accidents.

Opponents have already persuaded a federal court on two occasions to reject putting the extended hours into place. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) currently has an “interim final rule” in place that allows commercial truckers to drive no more than 11 hours a day and no more than 70 hours a week. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters claims that they have information that proves the rule is safe. The coalition wants the court to enforce its order that strikes down the “hours of service” rule.

Opponents say the rule lets truck drivers operate their trucks on the road 30% more than they were previously allowed to. They claim that this increases the chances of pedestrians, other motorists, motorcyclists, and passengers, getting seriously injured or killed in a truck accident.

If you or someone you love was seriously injured in a Boston-area truck crash or a truck collision that occurred anywhere else in Massachusetts, you should contact an experienced Massachusetts truck accident attorney immediately.

Truck accidents are more complicated to prove than car accidents or motorcycle collisions. Commercial trucking companies and their insurers can be tough to deal with, there are FMCSA rules involved, and specific evidence—including record logs and other evidence that the truck companies may have access to—must be gathered and preserved immediately.

Here are the large truck accident injury and death statistics for 2006:

• 85,984 injuries
• 4,995 fatalities

Lawsuit seeks to limit truckers' hours, CNN.com, December 21, 2007

Court Asked To Stop Extension Of Truck Drivers' Hours, AHN, December 20, 2007

2006 National Truck Crash Facts, Ai.volpe.dot.gov

Related Web Resources:

Truck Safety Coalition

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Continue reading "Truck Safety Coalition Lawsuit Wants to Limit Truckers' Work Hours" »

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Posted In: Truck Accidents

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An inbound Green Line trolley and a flatbed truck crossing the trolley tracks near Coolidge Corner collided on Tuesday. The crash caused the truck to flip onto its side across the tracks on Beacon Street. Fuel was spilled onto the road. The trolley was carrying 200 passengers and traveling at 10 mph.

The truck’s driver and three passengers that were riding the trolley were taken to area hospitals. They sustained neck and back injuries in the trolley-truck accident.

In Massachusetts:

• Approximately 34 fatal truck accidents occur every year
• 1.075 truck crashes are non-fatal

Common causes of truck accidents include driver fatigue, aggressive driving, defective breaks, tires, or lights, cell phone use, driving longer than the number of hours that are legally allowed, speeding, and failure to properly inspect trucks for maintenance.

Trucks and trolleys, as well as other vehicles designated for public transportation, must follow more stringent safety requirements than the drivers of motorcycles and cars. If these regulations are disregarded and a driver of a truck or trolley causes an accident that injures or kills another person, a personal injury or wrongful death case can be brought against the driver.

There is also a possibility that the truck company or trolley company could be held liable if their actions—or inaction--enabled the accident in any way. The truck in this accident is owned by Rebars & Mesh Inc., a steel and concrete company from Haverhill.

Collisions involving large trucks and other large vehicles frequently lead to serious injury and death. One of the reasons for this is that these kinds of vehicles are so heavy that the damage they inflict upon collision can be catastrophic.

MBTA trolley, flatbed collide; 4 hurt, Boston.com, September 5, 2007

Truck Accidents, Lawcore

Related Web Resources:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Rebars and Mesh

Continue reading "Four People Are Injured in Massachusetts When Trailer and MBTA Trolley Collide" »

Posted by Altman & Altman | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Truck Accidents

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