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A New Hampshire mother was cited last week after she took a picture with her cell phone of a man standing on the side of the road wearing an Armageddon-esque sign.

According to WCVB.com, Michelle Tetreault was driving with her teenage daughter when the pair spotted the man standing in a median near a stoplight. Tetreault was stopped when she took the picture of the man, who was wearing a sign warning: “Repent! The end is near!” What she didn’t know was the man was involved in a sting operation to catch drivers disobeying New Hampshire’s newest cellphone law which prohibits drivers from using phones or electronic devices while driving. Tetreault was subsequently ticketed $124. In a statement to WCVB.com, Tetreault, whose former brother-in-law died in a crash caused by a texting driver, said she never uses her phone while driving but was unaware that the law also applies to vehicles at stop signs or lights.

Law enforcement has gotten incredibly crafty when it comes to cracking down on distracted driving. Under Massachusetts law, drivers are allowed to talk on their mobile devices, however they are not allowed to text, send emails or surf the web. Drivers who are under18-years-old are banned from using any mobile device for any reason while driving.

Information is still being collected following an accident that took place this morning in Waltham, Massachusetts. The accident that occurred involved a pedestrian being struck by a trailer that broke free from the back of a truck that was hauling the attachment.

At approximately 9:00 AM Thursday morning a 75 year old woman was hit by a trailer that had become detached from the truck hitch it was connected to. The direct circumstances involving this particular accident have not been made immediately available as the investigation is still ongoing. Initial reports from the scene indicate that the woman, who has not been identified at this time, was walking down the sidewalk when the incident occurred. According to those preliminary reports, the incident happened around the area of School Street and Francis Street in Waltham. After being hit by the trailer, the elderly woman became pinned between the vehicle and hedges lining the sidewalk. Law enforcement officials responding to the scene said that it is very likely that the placement of these hedges saved the woman’s life. The hedges allowed for the woman to be cushioned from the impact of the crash, which dramatically decreased the extent of injuries this woman may have faced otherwise. She was transported from the scene to a local hospital to receive treatment for a broken leg she sustained during the accident. Reports have indicated that the woman is listed in serious but stable condition following her admittance to the hospital. Continue reading

Another unfortunate loss of life serves as a reminder that accidents can happen anywhere and at any time. The saddening incident from Exeter, New Hampshire that took place yesterday has highlighted just how random these accidents may be.

At approximately 1:20 PM Wednesday, July 22^nd, 64 year old Margaret Rugg of Exeter, New Hampshire fell off her bike and was subsequently hit and killed by a container truck. The accident took place on Epping Road, according to the preliminary reports provided by law enforcement officials investigating the matter. The container truck which struck Margaret Rugg was owned by Pinard Waste Management Systems and was operated by a man from Milton at the time of the accident. The name of the driver of the container truck has not been disclosed at this time, and he also has not been charged with anything as of yet. The driver of the garbage vehicle did not suffer any apparent injuries from the accident. Initial reports for the investigation indicate that law enforcement officials on scene did not believe that drugs or alcohol played a role in what took place.

Route 27, the area surrounding where the accident took place on Epping Road, was closed until approximately 7:30 PM as the investigation continued. Officers in the area redirected the flow of traffic through the town of Exeter and to nearby Exit 9 on Highway 101. The State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction unit as well as the Exeter New Hampshire police department are working together closely to investigate the accident. Continue reading

A fatal truck crash in Mansfield, Massachusetts has left state police officials asking the public for additional help with their investigation into the accident. A man from Norton who was driving the vehicle was killed in the accident that took place Monday July 13th, 2015, around 3:15 PM. The driver, who has yet to be identified pending family notification, was traveling on Route 495 South (south of Exit 12 for Mansfield) at the time of the accident. Preliminary reports suggest that the man, who was driving a box truck, veered off the right side of the highway and then rolled over into the woods nearby.

State police officers from the Foxborough barracks were called to the scene shortly after the accident took place. One of the state troopers investigating the incident, Christopher Booth, has said that initial reports indicate that the 55 year old driver of the 2003 Ford box truck appeared to have lost control of his vehicle before he swerved off the highway and into the surrounding trees. The Norton man who was driving the vehicle was the only person inside of the truck. Members of the Mansfield Fire Department had to extricate the victim from his car before he was transported by an ambulance to nearby Morton Hospital in Taunton. It was upon his arrival at the Morton Hospital that the unidentified driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead. The extent and nature of his injuries has not been made available yet. Continue reading

How many times have you backed safely out of your driveway? Probably too many times to count or actively keep track of. While we all believe that we are commonly practicing safe driving habits, accidents can occur at any time. I was recently pulling out of my driveway and was putting my car in reverse while closing my garage door when a car raced down my street, thankfully I was able to apply my breaks in time, but it was close.  Accidents can happen in the most familiar areas.  Whether it is on a freeway, a local back road, or even your own driveway, unforeseen circumstances can contribute to misfortune. A local Quincy woman found out the hard way that perhaps the practices she was so familiar with weren’t safe enough. Continue reading

We all know the dangers of texting and driving, but sometimes seeing the warning with our eyes has a bigger impact.

A PSA from 2014 resurfaced this week, making its rounds on social media and sending a chilling reminder to teens, parents and drivers everywhere of just how dangerous and deadly texting and driving can be.

Watch the video on YouTube here.

Vehicle crashes involving large trucks are responsible for over 5,000 fatalities annually in the United States. The person or people killed are almost always occupants of passenger vehicles – rarely the truck driver. Additionally, almost 150,000 people are injured every year in accidents involving large trucks. There are many causes of trucking accidents, including distracted driving, drug or alcohol use, and faulty equipment. However, one of the main contributing factors to large truck accidents is driver fatigue. Continue reading

Travelers from across the country have traded in their snow boots for flip-flops in celebration of the summer’s official kickoff weekend, Memorial Day. AAA Travel has projected this Memorial Day weekend to see the highest travel volume in 10 years, with gas prices at record lows. Analysts anticipate more than 37.2 million Americans will journey more than 50 miles or more Thursday through Monday. Whether you’re staying at home or you’re hitting the roads this weekend, Altman & Altman would like to remind you of some practical tips that will keep you and your family safe this weekend.

One of the most important things you can do to avoid a hiccup during your travel is to plan and prepare ahead of time. Here’s a list from last year that AAA, RepairPal and Safekids.org that we’d like to pass along to you. Continue reading

Last week, an elderly woman crashed her car into Wollaston T station, and pinned a man against a wall. The Boston Globe reports that the woman drove into the parking lot from Woodbine Street. Initial reports indicate that she may have had some kind of medical emergency. Her car struck a 57-year-old man and pinned him to a wall. No information has been released about the extent of his injuries. Sadly, the driver, Mary Mullane, died after the crash.
Elderly Driver Safety
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that there were 35 million licensed older drivers in 2011. That number represents a 21 percent increase from 2002. In fact, the total number of licensed drivers of all ages has only increased by nine percent from 2002 to 2011. They also note that the population of people age 65 and older is going to reach 70 million in the next 20 years. With the aging baby boomer population, drivers can expect to see an even greater increase in older drivers on the road over the next few years.
NHTSA Elderly Driving Facts for 2011 • 17 percent of all traffic-crash related deaths were among people age 65 and older.
• 5,401 people age 65 and older were killed in traffic crashes.
• 185,000 people age 65 and older were injured in crashes.
• People age 65 and older made up eight percent of all injured individuals in traffic crashes.
• Crash fatalities declined by 16 percent from 2002 to 2011.
• 77 percent of traffic fatalities involving older drivers occurred during the daytime.
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