Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Last Wednesday night, a motorcycle accident claimed the life of a 16-year-old student from Sandwich High School. The teen was reportedly being pursued by police when he turned left onto a dirt road, and an officer found him lying unconscious under a steel gate.

According to reports, the injured cyclist was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital, where the succumbed to his injuries from the motorcycle crash, which occurred around 9pm on Route 130 in Sandwich.

The motorcycle crash is still being investigated by Massachusetts Environmental Police, the Cape Cod Accident Reconstruction Team, and the Sandwich Police.

Sources: Teen killed in Cape motorcycle accident, Boston Globe, March 25, 2010

Sandwich youth dies in motorcycle crash, WickedLocal.com, March 25, 2010

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Earlier this month, the owner of a 2010 Toyota Rav-4 crashed the car into a plastic surgery clinic in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The 70-year-old driver said the vehicle accelerated on its own, and now, in light of the recent Toyota recall, federal investigators are looking into the car crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to spend two days examining the vehicle to see if her story holds weight. Police said they were using sophisticated computers to inspect the car, but they requested an independent investigation to see what might have gone wrong.

Investigators say that eyewitnesses confirm the driver's story. She was treated for minor injuries. No other injuries were reported in connection with the auto accident.

Source: Feds investigate Mass. woman's claim that Toyota wouldn't stop, NECN.com, March 23, 2010

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Last week, a car accident in Stratham, Massachusetts seriously injured a 12-year-old middle school student, leaving her in critical condition. According to East Kingston Police, the incident occurred outside the teen's home around 3:55pm. The girl was riding out of her driveway on a RipStick, a modified skateboard, when she was struck by a Toyota Camry, suffering serious head injuries.

The injured teen was transported to Exeter Hospital, then flown by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. As of this morning, a hospital spokesperson said the girl was still in critical condition.

No charges have been filed in connection with this traffic accident, and police say they are still investigating.

Source: Skateboarder in critical condition after being struck by car, SeaCoastOnline.com, March 24, 2010

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Earlier this week, two separate highway accidents in eastern Massachusetts killed pedestrians, report state police. The first pedestrian accident occurred around 7:30pm Tuesday evening when a 46-year-old Salisbury man stepped into the right lane on Route 95 South in Newbury. He was hit by a car and fatally injured.

On Wednesday, the second pedestrian fatality occurred on Woburn Street in Wilmington when an unidentified man was hit by a commercial vehicle. Police believe the man may have jumped from an overpass before the vehicle hit him.

Authorities are still investigating the fatal accidents.

Source: Two killed in pedestrian accidents on highways, Boston Globe, March 17, 2010

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Researchers from the University of Massachusetts found that a driver is 20 times more likely to be involved in a car crash while texting than at any other time. The study also discovered that young drivers under the age of 25 are more likely to text behind the wheel than more experienced ones. In fact, nearly half of teen drivers admitted to text messaging while driver in a 2007 survey.

Scientists at UMass used a driving simulator to examine the reactions of motorists and their eye movement. They asked volunteers of various ages to perform tasks such as checking a map or turning on the heat while driving the simulator.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 500,000 people were injured in auto accidents that involved driver distraction in 2008. Another 5,870 died in car accidents involving a distracted driver. "Distracted driving" may include talking on a cell phone, eating, drinking, texting, and talking with passengers, but texting is among the most hazardous activities.

Source: Dashboard deathwish: UMass simulator details risks of texting at the wheel, GazetteNet.com, March 18, 2010

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Here in Massachusetts, severe weather conditions over the last several days have made driving unusually treacherous, creating at least one car accident in nearby Manchester, New Hampshire. The storm also delayed flights out of airports in New York and Boston and knocked out roads in several parts of the state. The MBTA reports that parts of the D line were taken out of service yesterday due to flooding.

However, WCSH6.com reports that Southern Maine has been hit hardest of all. Roughly 50 roads in York country were closed. Route 202 in Lebanon was covered in water, and Route 1 in York was closed to a single lane yesterday. Hundreds of residents also lost power.

Authorities urged drivers in Massachusetts and throughout New England to use caution on wet, slippery roads.

Source: Storm causing travel problems, WCSH6.com, March 15, 2010

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On Saturday, a two-vehicle rollover on Route 25 injured seven people, including five children. Massachusetts police say two of the children were seriously injured. The traffic accident occurred around 11:15 on Saturday morning when a 1999 Toyota Avalon reportedly made contact with a 1999 GMC Suburban, causing both vehicles to roll over.

According to reports, the GMC ended up in the median on the driver's side, and the Toyota landed on its roof in the breakdown lane. All seven people were initially taken to Tobey Hospital, say police. Two of the children, age 9 and 11, were seriously injured and were later taken to Children's Hospital in Boston.

Massachusetts troopers are still investigating the cause of this car crash.

Source: Double rollover on Route 25 sends seven to hospital, GateHouse News Service, March 14, 2010

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The driver of a Toyota Rav-4 who crashed her vehicle into a Yarmouth, Massachusetts doctor's office on Tuesday says the accident was not her fault. Her vehicle had supposedly been repaired as part of the Toyota recall, but several drivers have reportedly accelerator problems even after their vehicles were fixed.

The 70-year-old driver, who apparently has a flawless driving record, told her son she put her foot on the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated into the building. Then she reportedly looked down after the car accident and her foot was still on the brake. She suffered minor injuries and back pain, but no one inside the doctor's office was injured.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the motor vehicle accident.

Source: Blaming Toyota for doctor's office crash, NECN.com, March 10, 2010

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Earlier this week, a 92-year-old woman from Milford, Massachusetts was injured in a car accident and later succumbed to those injuries. After being flown by medical helicopter to the hospital, she died late Monday at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

The woman's 82-year-old sister was found to be at fault for the four-car accident, and police say they are considering holding her criminally responsible for the death. Ultimately, that determination will be made by the district attorney, they say.

The younger sister was driving a 1998 Dodge Stratus that set off the chain-reaction crash. She was not seriously injured and has already been cited for following too closely.

Source: 92-year-old passenger in Milford crash dies from injuries, Milford Daily News, March 10, 2010

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In Swansea, Massachusetts on Tuesday, a 15-year-old high school student was seriously injured after colliding with a car and being hit by a bus.

Police say the teen bicyclist was wearing headphones and carrying an iPod as he traveled east on Hinsdale Avenue. He then biked into the intersection and a collided with a car, hitting the windshield and falling onto the street, where he was hit by a school bus. The school bus was bringing children home after school and reportedly ran over one of the bicyclist's legs.

He was listed in serious condition earlier today. The Massachusetts State Police and Swansea police are still investigating the bike accident.

Source: Teen bicyclist in serious condition after Swansea accident, Providence Journal, March 10, 2010

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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recently issued a press release announcing that MBTA bus drivers are actually safer than many motorists. According to the press release, the MBTA averaged 1.3 bus accidents for every hundred thousand miles last year, which represents a drop of more than 25% from 2007.

Although the MBTA has had several bus and subway accidents over the past year, most of the bus accidents (an estimated 83%) could not have been prevented by the bus driver. Those statistics found that an auto driver is four times more likely to make an error that results in a traffic accident with a bus than the MBTA bus driver is.

These findings could be attributed to several factors. The MBTA has recently added an operator recertification project and a zero-tolerance policy towards driving possessing mobile phones and electronic devices.

Source: MBTA Drivers Are Safer Than Many Motorists, Quincy Cove, March 1, 2010

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In addition to the recent text-messaging ban for drivers, Massachusetts may soon institute other changes to the road. "Open-road" tolling is one of those changes, and Governor Deval Patrick says highway officials will begin testing it soon. According to Patrick, the tests will be staged in lanes at the Massachusetts Turnpike exchange at Route 128 and on the Mystic Tobin Bridge.

This new tolling system would allow drivers to pass under a scanner that would assess a toll rather than stopping or fumbling for cash. Massachusetts drivers who use FastLane transponders will still be able to pay their toll that way, but the scanners can read license plates and send a bill to the driver or debit their account.

Patrick says open-road tolling will improve customer service; however, critics worry that it could lead to adding more tolls to roads that don't currently have them.

Source: Patrick: Mass may test new tolling within months, Boston Globe, March 3, 2010

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Since Toyota recalled more than 8 million vehicles last October, drivers have flocked to Toyota dealers to have their cars fixed. However, at least 15 drivers who supposedly had their sticky gas pedals or floor mats fixed have complained that their vehicles sped up by themselves.

According to a Massachusetts-based car safety and advocacy organization, Toyota's issues may extend beyond sticky pedals or floor mat issues. In fact, some experts believe the problem may be electronic in nature and they say Toyota has not examined this possible cause.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 52 people have died in car crashes associated with Toyota's acceleration issues. The agency is investigating Toyota's safety issues and said it wants to hear from more drivers, if they are experiencing similar problems.

Source: Drivers complain that Toyota's fixes didn't work, Associated Press, March 3, 2010

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On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Senate approved legislation that will ban text messaging behind the wheel and require cognitive and physical screenings for older drivers in Massachusetts. Drivers between the ages of 75 and 80 will have to pass the tests to renew their licenses, and drivers over 80 will have to pass the tests every three years. Though the bill initially required drivers to get tested at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, legislators opted to create a form and allow doctors to perform the tests. This legislation comes in response to several fatal car crashes involving older drivers.

The House had approved a plan that would have require drivers to use hands-free cell phone models with voice-activated dialing and would make text messaging a secondary offense, but that plan was rejected by the Senate. Instead, the Senate agreed to make text messaging a primary offense. Police will be allowed to stop and city Massachusetts drivers caught text messaging on the road.

Legislators are also considering a bill that would prohibit school bus drivers from using cell phones and another bill that would allow health care providers to report the names of patients they could be an endangerment to themselves and others on the road.

Source: Senate approves elderly driving bill, texting ban, Boston Herald, March 2, 2010

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On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Senate will formally debate a bill that would ban text-messaging while driving. That same bill would require Massachusetts drivers age 75 and older to pass cognitive and physical screenings every three years. The bill comes after several auto accidents that involved older drivers or text-messaging behind the wheel.

Several of the bill's provisions, including the text-messaging ban, have already been green-lighted by the House. While some have proposed legislation that would require drivers to use hands-free devices while talking on a mobile phone, that requirement is not part of the Senate bill.

Once the Senate reaches a decision, the bills would be merged in a conference committee. A final debate and vote will follow.

Source: Mass. Senate set to debate driver texting ban, Boston Herald, February 27, 2010

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