Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Last week, police and registry inspectors caught at least 76 Massachusetts drivers for allegedly failing to stop for school buses picking up or dropping off student passengers. The annual event has been called "Operation Yellow Blitz" and is aimed at reminding those drivers that they must stop when a bus's flashing red light goes on.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles fields thousands of complaints from police, school bus drivers, and parents about drivers who fail to stop for a school bus, creating a safety issue on the road. First-time offenders face a $250 citation. Those who receive a second violation within two years face a $1,000 fine and a six-month driver's license suspension.

Last year, 60 Massachusetts communities set up surveillance teams for Operation Yellow Blitz, resulting in citations for 69 drivers.

Registry sting nabs alleged stop-light violators, Boston Herald, October 21, 2009

Continue reading " "Operation Yellow Blitz" Nabs 76 Massachusetts Drivers " »

Earlier this week, Chelmsford's police chief told the Board of Selectmen that a traffic safety bill being considered on Beacon Hill is gaining support. Chelmsford selectmen and law enforcement officials say they support the bill, which would allow the Massachusetts town to install cameras at intersections in the hopes of catching drivers who run red lights.

The bill was filed in Massachusetts' house and senate and would allow for cameras to take a digital photo of the rear end of a vehicle after it drives through a red light. Drivers would receive a time-stamped copy of the picture and a traffic ticket in the mail. Chelmsford's police chief says the addition to cameras would improve the flow of traffic and increase safety on the road.

Some worry that the cameras could pose an invasion of privacy. However, violators of the red light law will not receive any merit rating surcharges nor will the ticket count against their driving record.

Chelmsford chief backs redlight camera bill, GateHouse News Service, October 27, 2009

Continue reading " Chelmsford Officials Supporting Red Light Camera Bill " »

On Monday morning, a motor vehicle accident involving three tractor trailers and one car caused numerous delays on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Around 2:30am, one of the tractor trailers hit a tollbooth at the Weston Tolls on the eastbound side. Although a tollbooth operator was inside the building when the traffic crash occurred, the operator managed to escape injury.

The three trucks involved in the accident were carrying goods including beef, paper goods, and tomatoes, which spilled over the roadway. The driver of the car involved in the Massachusetts Pike accident was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the vehicle was wedged underneath one of the tractor trailers.

The motor vehicle accident is still under investigation, and the scene of the accident was cleared by around 10:30am. In order to keep traffic flowing, motorists did not have to pay tolls after four lanes of traffic opened in the morning.

Tractor trailers involved in crash at Weston tolls on Pike, WHDH.com, October 26, 2009

Continue reading " Weston Tractor Trailer Crash Causes Delays on Pike " »

Early on Saturday morning, a 32-year-old woman crashed her 2008 Mercedes into two Marion police cruisers on the side of Route 6. The first police car had its emergency lights flashing and there were no police officers in the vehicle at the time of the car crash, which occurred just 2am. Officers were talking to a driver who had been pulled over.

After hitting the first police car and pushing it into the center of the road, the Mercedes hit a second police car, which was parked on the side of the road while the driver assisted the other officer. According to a police report, the vehicle was pushed into the fast lane and sustained moderate damage. The Mercedes was severely damaged.

The driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and taken to Toby Hospital for treatment. She was later released. No one was else was injured in the auto accident, although the incident forced the closure of Route 6 in both directions for an hour. The motor vehicle crash is still under investigation, but police say alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor.

Marco woman crashes into two Massachusetts police cruisers, MarcoNews.com, October 26, 2009

Continue reading " New Bedford Car Accident Involves Two Massachusetts Police Cruisers " »

Earlier this week, several Massachusetts state troopers were injured in unrelated car crashes. On Sunday evening, Trooper Patrick McGowan was injured in a Wrentham car crash involving a 2004 Acura. He was treated and released at Norwood Hospital. One of the passengers in the Acura was also injured in the auto collision.

Also on Sunday evening, Trooper John Duggan was injured in a Raynham car accident on Route 495 after a 2001 Pathfinder crossed the median and hit the trooper's cruiser head-on. He was extricated from his cruiser and transported to Morton Hospital with minor injuries.

On Monday morning, a Trooper Edward Bruso was seriously injured while responding to a car crash on Route 290 westbound in Worcester. He was transported to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and later released.

Both of the Sunday evening cruiser accidents are being investigated.

Troopers Hurt In Series Of Road Crashes, TheBostonChannel.com, October 19, 2009

Continue reading " Massachusetts Road Crashes Injure Troopers " »

Last Monday, an accident in Holbrook involving an MBTA bus and another car was captured on one of the bus' cameras, helping transit police determine who was at fault for the bus accident.

Last week, the MBTA released the video, which shows the driver of a Chevy Malibu slumping over before crossing the median line and hitting the MBTA bus head-on. The footage helped police determine that the bus driver was not at fault for the motor vehicle accident. They cited the other driver for failure to stay within marked lanes.

Police say that surveillance video footage has also helped them in other instances, like when a crime is committed on an MBTA bus or nearby or when suspects ride the MBTA after committing a crime. Roughly 350 buses out of the MBTA's 1,100-bus fleet are outfitted with eight cameras each. Some subway cars and stations also have video cameras.

Holbrook crash demonstrates value of cameras on T buses, Boston Globe, October 15, 2009

Continue reading " Camera on MBTA Bus Captures Holbrook Accident " »

On Friday morning, a 50-year-old from Marlborough died after being ejected from his truck in a rollover crash. Police say the man was driving south on Route 66 when his Chevrolet Silverado 2500 truck went off the road just after midnight.

He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the truck accident, and a coroner pronounced him dead on the scene. A 47-year-old from Florida suffered minor injuries, while two other passengers in the truck were not injured.

Police say they believe the truck accident was weather-related, though they have yet to determine the cause of the accident.

Mass. man killed in Forest County accident, GoErie.com, October 17, 2009

Continue reading " Massachusetts Man Dies in Truck Accident " »

Freestyle sledder Darryl Tait landed in a Massachusetts hospital following a snowmobile crash during a Boston area competition, according to the Whitehorse Star. The 19-year-old is at Massachusetts General Hospital and is using a respirator to breathe. His snowmobile apparently landed on him while he was demonstrating a maneuver.

According to a friend of Tait, surgeons are waiting until he can breathe on his own before attempting to operate in his back. Tait's doctors are unsure if his spine was severed in the snowmobile accident.

The friend told the Whitehorse Star that one of the athlete's lungs was punctured and the other collapsed. The snowmobile accident victim also reportedly suffered broken ribs.

Canadian Freestyler Darryl Tait Injured in Snowmobile Crash, TSN.ca, October 16, 2009

Continue reading " Massachusetts Snowmobile Crash Injures Freestyle Sledder " »

Last week, a motor vehicle accident on Route 28 North in Medford injured a pedestrian, who later died at the hospital. According to state police reports, the pedestrian was hit by a 2003 BMW X5 in the right lane. The 33-year-old driver was not injured.

The pedestrian, a 53-year-old man from Medford, was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital and died at the hospital. Medford's Deputy Fire Chief said that stretch of roadway is particularly prone to accidents, although they usually do not involve pedestrians.

Police closed Route 28 for three hours following the motor vehicle crash so they could investigate and reconstruct the accident. It is clear if the driver will face any charges.

Pedestrian killed on Fellsway in Medford, Boston Globe, October 9, 2009

Continue reading " Medford Car Accident Kills Pedestrian " »

Last December, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) stopped sending paper reminders about driver's license renewals to save money. Now Massachusetts drivers can sign up for a free service that allows the RMV to notify them by email or phone or text message when their driver's license is about to expire.

A statement from Registrar Rachel Kaprielian said "we saved nearly $800,000 a year by eliminating paper courtesy mailings to our customers." Massachusetts-based Senza Inc. is handing the new notification service, is free to the RMV, because businesses will buy advertising that accompanies the reminder messages.

In order to receive the notification, users must sign up at least 45 days before their driver's license or ID expires. They can sign up online at www.mass.gov/rmv and will receive an electronic message at least 30 days before the expiration date telling them whether they should renew online or in person and whether their license can't be renewed at all due to outstanding excise taxes or parking tickets.

You’ve got e-mail -- and you’d better renew your license, Boston Globe, October 7, 2009

Continue reading " Massachusetts RMV Now Offering Driver's License Renewal Reminders Via Email " »

On Thursday evening, a flat bed tow truck carrying an SUV on Route 495 reportedly crashed into another vehicle, ejecting and killing the tow truck operator. No one else was killed in the truck accident, which occurred around 10:15pm. According to Massachusetts police, the tow truck also hit the Rt. 195 bridge abutment and overpass during the accident.

When EMS personnel responded to the emergency call, they pronounced the 52-year-old truck accident victim dead at the scene. The crash caused police to shut down Route 495 southbound near Route 25 for several hours as they examined the scene of the accident. Inspectors from Mass Highway were also called to the scene of the truck accident to help calculate the extent of damage caused to the overpass and bridge abutment.

The accident investigation is continuing with help from the State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Service Section, and the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section.

One Killed in Wareham Tow Truck Accident, ABC6.com, October 9, 2009

Continue reading " Wareham Tow Truck Accident Kills One " »

This week, members of Massachusetts' Joint Committee on Transportation heard testimony about two bills that relate to traffic safety. The first, dubbed Ryan's Bill after a 16-year-old who died in a motorcycle accident, would require driver's education for motorcyclists between the ages of 16 and 18. Currently, Massachusetts law does not require Class M permit applicants to pass a riding test or undergo lessons, which some consider "ludicrous" given that motorcycles can travel up to 100 miles per hour.

Ryan's father, Brockton Fire Lieutenant Roger Orcutt, hopes that the bill will prevent other teens from getting into a dangerous motorcycle accident. State Senator Stephen M. Brewer urged the Joint Committee to pass the bill, so "Ryan's death will not be in vain."

The committee also heard testimony surrounding a bill that would require paratransit vehicles to have an up-to-date wheelchair tie-down and safety belt system. In addition, the bill would require a training course for employees and volunteers who transport wheelchair-seated passengers. Among those testifying in favor of the bill were Kenny Cieplik, a 34-year-old man from Middleborough who sustained serious injuries in a van crash last May when the seatbelts tying down his wheelchair broke.

Bill aims to toughen license laws, Boston Globe, October 7, 2009

Continue reading " Massachusetts Lawmakers Weigh Bills on Teen Motorcyclists, Wheelchair Seatbelts " »

On Saturday morning, a 16-year-old student at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute was hit by a car as she rode her bike. According to police, the bike accident occurred at 11:13am when an 81-year-old driver turned left onto Washington Street from Boston Street and failed to stop in time to avoid hitting the bicyclist.

The bike accident victim was initially diagnosed with a severely sprained ankle but was later taken to Massachusetts General Hospital to be checked for a possible head injury. Her father told reporters that his daughter suffered a fractured skull. She was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Police who responded to the call did not issue a citation to the driver, though records from the Registry of Motor Vehicles show he was cited for failure to stop in 1984.

Lynn bicyclist hit by elderly driver, The Daily Item, October 7, 2009

Continue reading " Lynn Teen Injured in Bike Accident " »

According to the Boston Globe, a car crash last Monday on Morrissey Boulevard near the entrance to University of Massachusetts-Boston injured five people. All suffered non-life-threatening injuries, said a police spokesman. Two of the car accident victims were taken to Tufts Medical Center. The other two were taken to Boston Medical Center.

The auto accident reportedly occurred when a car traveling southbound on Morrissey Boulevard made an illegal U-turn. It crashed into another vehicle and a street sign, propelling the car on top of the northbound vehicle.

A UMass-Boston student who witnessed the crash pulled the driver of the southbound vehicle out of the driver's seat. Another student pulled a person out of the passenger seat. Three people remained trapped in the back seat until firefighters cut the roof of the car open and removed them.

Five injured in Morrissey Boulevard crash, Boston Globe, September 29, 2009

Continue reading " Boston Car Crash Injures Five " »

According to a recent study, hybrid cars are a greater risk to pedestrians than vehicles with internal combustion engines because of their quieter engines. Blind pedestrians are especially at risk, because they rely more heavily on auditory cues. In fact, a blind woman in Kansas City last year had her cane run over and broken by what she suspects was a hybrid vehicle.

Because of this heightened risk of a pedestrian accident, automakers are exploring ways to create noise and warn pedestrians, especially when a vehicle is driving under 10 miles per hour, when tires on pavement and other road noises are barely audible.

Congress also passed the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, which ordered a federal agency to examine the issue and potentially recommend a minimum amount of sound. Already, American drivers kill approximately 4,500 pedestrian and injure 70,000 others each year. And as hybrid cars gain in popularity, the issue of safety becomes even more important.

Safety experts fear electric cars too quiet, KansasCity.com, September 26, 2009

Continue reading " Hybrid Vehicles Pose Safety Risk to Pedestrians " »