Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A bicyclist who was hit by a police car in Everett, Massachusetts last week has been taken off life support. An officer whose name has not been released was responding to a 911 call when he hit Reda Rouf, 19, of Everett, near the intersection of Ferry and Glendale streets.

Those who witnessed the accident said Rouf was riding at high speed into the intersection before the police cruiser hit him. The driver immediately helped the victim after he was hit. Rouf remains in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Everett police told WBZ-TV that the 911 call was for an unrelated accident. The officer involved in the accident has been placed on paid administrative leave while the accident is under investigation.

Cyclist Hit By Police Car Taken Off Life Support, WBZTV.com, September 18, 2008

Continue reading " Man Hit by Everett Police Car Dies " »

A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus hit a Boston University student earlier this month. Officials from the BU Police Department said this is the second incident involving a student and a cycling accident in two days.

An 18-year-old male student was cycling along Commonwealth Avenue outside of Boston University’s Fitness and Recreation Center when he was struck from behind by the MBTA bus on its front right side. The bus accident victim complained of back pain and was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

There are no bike lanes in that part of Commonwealth Avenue. The Boston Police Department plans to investigate the cycling accident along with the MBTA Transit Police.

FitRec the site of second cycling accident this week, Daily Free Press, September 18, 2008

Continue reading " Boston University Student Hit by MBTA Bus " »

In Barnstable, Massachusetts, a 24-year old has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by motor vehicle. Michael Catarius has admitted he was drunk when he caused a car accident that killed two men. Prior to the crash, Catarius had left a party in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

The car accident victims were Michael Warren, 26, a passenger, and Edward Kipp, 48, who was driving a pick-up truck. Prosecutors claimed Catarius barreled through a locked gate after guards stopped him at the Massachusetts Military Reservation in July 2007. He then ran a red light, hit a car, and became airborne, hitting Kipp’s pickup truck.

Last Friday at Barntable Superior Court, Catarius was sentenced to seven to ten years in prison.

Cape man pleads guilty in crash that killed 2, Boston Herald, September 20, 2008

Continue reading " Barnstable Man Pleads Guilty in Deadly Car Crash " »

According to a Nationwide Insurance study, about a fifth of drivers text while the drive. That statistic increases to two thirds among drivers aged 18 to 24. Almost 80 percent of car crashes in the United States are caused by distracted drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The evidence points to text messaging as a potentially deadly distraction. In 2007, a car accident involving five teenage girl and a tractor trailer claimed the lives of all five girls. It was later discovered that the driver was texting just before the deadly car crash.

Still, the law has been slow to catch up to this technological development. NHTSA does not have a policy in place regarding text messaging while driving a car. Instead, they leave regulations to state and local agencies. So far, Alaska, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington state have laws banning texting while driving. A ban goes into effect in Westchester County, New York next spring.

Of course, text messaging can also be a hazard to pedestrians. Earlier this week, a 14-year old boy in Florida was killed after stepping in front of a car. He was distracted by a text message on his cell phone. The deputy said they have no plans to file charges against the driver.

Driving While Texting Laws Slow To Catch Up To Problem, InjuryBoard.com, September 23, 2008

Teen Killed In Crash While Texting On Phone, WESH.com, September 23, 2008

Continue reading " Driving While Texting Laws in the Works " »

Last week in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a four-car crash on Interstate 195 eastbound killed one driver. Massachusetts police say the fatal car accident occurred just before the afternoon rush hour between exit 12 and 13 on Interstate 195. They have identified the car accident victim as Barbara Niemi, 61, of Wareham.

According to troopers, the victim’s car hit back the of a GMC crossover driven by Ryan Feeney, 32, of Fairhaven. The GMC rolled over and the driver sustained minor injuries.

Though some car accidents are minor fender-benders that result in minor property damages, more serious accidents can have catastrophic results, including serious injuries, major property damage, and even death. Motorists are covered by their own Personal Injury Protection insurance, but oftentimes medical costs can far exceed the policy limits of PIPs.

One dead, several hurt in 195 crash, turnto10.com, September 18, 2008

Continue reading " New Bedford Crash Kills One, Injures Several " »

In Peabody, Massachusetts on Monday, two drivers were seriously injured as the result of a head-on collision. A Chevy Cavalier and a Ryder rental truck collided on Lowell Street in Peabody just before noon.

Peabody police say it appeared that Suzanne Coughter of Peabody drove her compact car into the opposite lane of traffic, hitting the truck. Coughter suffered injuries to her legs and possibly chest and head. Emergency rescue personnel had to extract her from the sight of the car accident. She was airlifted to Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital.

Glenn Jalbert, also of Peabody, was driving the truck and was transported by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital. As of Monday, he was listed in fair condition, according to The Salem News.

The only witness to the car accident was a passenger riding in the truck. The accident is under investigation by the state police accident reconstruction team.

Crash sends two to hospital, The Salem News, September 16, 2008

Continue reading " Peabody Car Crash Injures Two " »

According to the Cape Cod Times, a Brazilian teen living in Marstons Mills crashed his car into a tree on Race Lane on Saturday, then fled the scene.

The 1994 Mercedes was discovered by Barnstable police, but there was no driver. The car had a smashed windshield and both airbags deflated. The driver, 17-year-old Jean Ikchucki, later returned with his mother to the scene of the car crash.

Police took both people to the Barnstable police station, where they spoke with investigators though a translator. The teen initially told investigators that his mother was driving the car, but they discovered that he had been behind the wheel. Since both mother and son are living in Massachusetts illegally, neither one has a valid Massachusetts driver’s license.

Police gave Ikchucki a criminal citation for operating without a license; however, it is unlucky that he or his mother will be deported as a result of the car crash.

Teen crashes car into tree, flees scene, Cape Cod Times, September 13, 2008

Continue reading " Teen Flees Scene After Crashing Into a Tree " »

In Attleboro, Massachusetts, a 24-year old driver of a sport utility vehicle died after colliding with a Jeep on Thatcher Street last Wednesday night.

Randy Cummings was driving east on Thatcher Street around 11:45 pm when he rear-ended the Jeep, which was driven by Sean M. Caponigro, 31, of Attleboro. Cummings’ car continued several hundred feet before hitting a cement wall. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the car accident.

Police suspect that Cummings may have been speeding and may have been driving under the influence of alcohol, but they will not know more until they receive the results of the toxicology tests and work with state police reconstruction experts to determine how fast he was driving.

The motor vehicle accident is under investigation by Massachusetts state police detectives and the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Police: Speed caused crash, The Sun-Chronicle, September 12, 2008

Somersworth man dies in Mass. car crash, Fosters.com, September 12, 2008

Continue reading " Driver Dies in Attleboro Car Accident " »

A driver from North Weymouth, Massachusetts was killed in a car crash on Route 1 last month. Jason Gambon’s black Nissan sedan swerved to the left, crossed the center line, and hit an 18-wheel tractor trailer head-on around 7:10pm on Tuesday, August 26. According to reports, the driver of the tractor-trailer did not sustain any serious injuries.

Emergency crews had to use hydraulic rescue tools to extricate the injured driver from his car. The road was closed for several hours and Gambon, 24, was taken by ambulance to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The reason that Gambon swerved and hit the tractor-trailer is still under investigation. An unnamed witness said that the two vehicles were very badly damaged. The witness said, “nobody’s going to walk away from that.”

Massachusetts man killed in North Hampton crash, Seacoastonline.com, August 29, 2008

Continue reading " North Weymouth Man Dies in Car Crash " »

A Massachusetts tractor-trailer driver was involved in car accident earlier this week. Richard Jean, 49, was driving north on Interstate 95 when his tractor-trailer, which is owned by Bothstein Sugar Corporation, was hit by David Nance of Norwalk, Connecticut.

Police say Nance was speeding and his car became wedged under Jean’s tractor-trailer. The car was then dragged a short distance before Jean pulled his truck to the side of the highway.

Firefighters had to extract Nance from his vehicle because he became trapped. Meanwhile, local and state police were forced to close the entrance ramp and right lane of the highway as rescuers worked to free Nance, who was unconscious at the time.

As of Wednesday, the accident victim was listed in critical condition at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. The motor vehicle accident is currently under investigation, but no charges have been filed according to state police.

Man critical after I-95 crash, ConnPost.com, September 10, 2008

Driver in I-95 crash still critical, ConnPost.com, September 10, 2008

Continue reading " Massachusetts Man Involved in Tractor-Trailer Accident " »

The town of Wayland, Massachusetts was hit by tragedy last week. Marie Martino, 80, of Wayland was hit by a car on Thursday night while trying to cross a street in Wayland.

A Wayland ambulance took the car accident victim to MetroWest Medical Center in Natick, where she was pronounced dead around 9pm.

The driver of the gray Ford van that hit Martino has been identified as Lawrence Vannerderynen of Natick, Massachusetts. As of late last week, no charges have been filed.

Meanwhile, in Hudson, Massachusetts, Jayne E. Lombardo, 44, was hit by a car around the same time. She was taken to St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, but as of last week, her condition was still unknown.

Woman identified in Wayland fatal crash, WickedLocal.com, September 5, 2008

Continue reading " Wayland Women Dies After Being Hit by Car " »

Last year, a Massachusetts woman crashed her car into Brockton Hospital, killing a doctor and a secretary and seriously injuring a radiation therapist at the hospital. A wrongful death lawsuit against the driver, 77-year-old Jane Bergland, of Rockland, has already been dropped after a settlement was reached out of court.

Now several of Bergland’s doctors face potential lawsuits for failing to warn their patient, who was taking insulin for diabetes, among other medications, that her medication might impair her ability to drive. She was also taking powerful painkillers and undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Less than a year ago, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in a similar case that a Brockton doctor could be sued for failing to warn a patient about the potential side effects of prescriptions. That case is scheduled to go to trial in November. The newer case against Bergland’s doctors is still going through the legal process.

Driver’s doctors sued over fatal Brockton Hospital crash, WickedLocal.com, September 6, 2008

Continue reading " Brockton Doctors Face Lawsuit After Patient Kills 2, Injures 1 " »

According to Leicester, Massachusetts police, an elderly couple died last week as the result of a head-on car crash on Route 9. Russel Mosman, 83, and his wife, Dorothy, 89, of North Brookfield, Massachusetts were struck by an eastbound car driven by Adwoa Gyamfi of Worcester, Massachusetts.

After the crash at the intersection of Route 9 and Town Beach Road, emergency medical personnel transported Russell Mosman to UMass Memorial Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.

Dorothy Mosman was pronounced dead at the hospital soon after the car accident. Gyamfi was also transported to the hospital, but local police report that her injuries are not considered serious.

The motor vehicle accident is under investigation, butso far no one has been charged.

Elderly couple die in car crash, Boston Herald, August 29, 2008

Continue reading " Car Crash Kills Massachusetts Couple " »

According to police, a Massachusetts driver on Route 302 in Maine hit the guardrail on the left side of the road and came to a stop after colliding with the chain-link fence of the nearby Blake Equipment Company.

Paul Townsend was driving a gold 2006 Hyundai Elantra. The car was totaled after the accident, and all of the car’s air bags deployed upon impact. The car’s passenger, George Townsend, had to be removed from the car, because the fence prevented him from opening the car door himself. The seventy-six year old was taken to the hospital to be examined and for damage to his hand. Paul Townsend sustained minor injuries and was transported to Maine Medical Center for evaluation.

Windham Police Officer Ray Williams said the car accident was related to a medical problem and was not caused by traffic or high speeds.

Accident sends car through fence, IndependentPub.com, September 3, 2008

Continue reading " Massachusetts Driver Involved in Accident on Route 302 " »

The Worcester Business Journal recently reported that the intersection of Interstates 495 and 290 has an accident rate that is 33 percent higher than similar highway interchanges. The Mass Highway Department plans to improve the intersection by redesigning and rebuilding it.

The construction project will not be completed until 2014 or 2015; however, the MHD has $31 million in federal and state money designated to fund it. The Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency has deemed an environmental impact report unnecessary, which will save 18-24 months.

Construction will be completed in stages so that traffic will flow as usual. Currently, the intersection is a full cloverleaf pattern, but the new design will transform the intersection into a partial cloverleaf and three levels of roadway. Two of the four ramps at the intersection are rated “F” due to the heavy amount of traffic they handle. The redesign is anticipated to bump up the rating to a B, C, or D.

At A Crossroads, Worcester Business Journal, August 18, 2008

Continue reading " Massachusetts Highway Department Plans to Rebuild Dangerous Intersection " »