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Our MBTA accident attorneys have recently learned that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority plans to close a loophole that had allowed operators on the Orange, Red, and Blue lines to maneuver subway trains without a driver’s license. Currently, driver’s licenses are only required for Green Line and bus drivers, because those vehicles operate at least in part on public streets.

The MBTA’s General Manager said it’s unusual for a T operator to not have a driver’s license, but the new policy will make it a requirement for future hires. The new requirement will also impact T employees because it means their license status will be reviewed by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Governor Deval Patrick ordered a review of all MBTA hiring after a 2009 trolley accident on the Green Line.

Source: MBTA expanding its driver’s license requirement, Boston Globe, June 19, 2010 Continue reading

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On Saturday morning, a two-vehicle accident on Route 25 westbound injured two people. The rollover accident occurred around 10am on Saturday, June 19.

The accident trapped a female driver inside a red sedan. She sustained serious injuries and was transported via MedFlight helicopter to a hospital in Rhode Island. Traffic was heavily conjested as the MedFlight copter landed on the highway. According to reports, the driver of one of the vehicles reportedly crossed the median and hit the other vehicle head-on.

The car crash is will being investigated by state police.

Source: Two injured in Bourne rollover accident Saturday, CapeCodToday.com, June 19, 2010 Continue reading

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On Tuesday, a motorcyclist died after his bike collided with a 1997 Dodge Ram van. The fatal accident occurred on Route 9 in Brookfield, Massachusetts when the van turned into the parking of an Italian restaurant and crossed the path of the motorcycle.

Emergency responders declared the motorcyclist dead at the scene of the motorcycle accident. Police have not been released the victim’s name to the public.

The driver, a 20-year-old New Hampshire man, sustained minor injuries. His passengers, two Worcester woman, were also injured in the collision. The three of them were taken to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester.

Source: Motorcyclist Killed In Collision With Van, TheBostonChannel.com, June 15, 2010 Continue reading

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Earlier this week, Massachusetts police were called to the scene of a deadly hit-and-run accident on Route I-495. The accident occurred early Monday morning near Exit 23B in Westborough, where a 40-something male pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Police did not find a disabled vehicle near the scene of the accident, so it’s unclear why the pedestrian was on the highway. They have not released the victim’s identify and they have asked for the public’s help in investigating the hit-and-run.

Traffic along I-495 was backed up for several hours following the fatal accident; however, traffic had resumed in all lanes as of 10am that morning.

Source: Authorities ask for public’s help in solving I-495 hit-and-run, Boston Globe, June 14, 2010 Continue reading

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Last week, a head-on collision on Route 23 between a Toyota and a tractor-trailer sent a Lenox, Massachusetts women to the hospital. Police said the 2008 Toyota was traveling east on Route 23 when the vehicle crossed the median and hit a westbound tractor-trailer.

Both vehicles were totaled, but the tractor-trailer driver was not injured. He was cited for falsifying his driving log. The injured Toyota driver was taken to Berkshire Medical Center.

The motor vehicle accident caused authorities to close part of Route 23 for nine hours. Police are still investigating the accident. As of last week, they had not interviewed the Toyota driver due to her hospitalization.

Source: Woman stable after accident, Berkshire Eagle, June 11, 2010 Continue reading

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Last Wednesday afternoon, a truck explosion in Tyngsborogh, Massachusetts injured three men. The truck’s driver was in critical condition at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as of Thursday. Massachusetts state police said the truck’s two passengers were also injured. One of the injured truck passengerss was taken by ambulance to Lowell General Hospital and later moved to Brigham and Women’s in Boston. The other was treated at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center for minor injuries.

The three men were headed south on Route 3 near Exit 35 when passing motorists warned the truck driver that the truck rear was smoking. The driver moved into the breakdown lane and tried to open the door, setting off a “combustible explosion,” according to police. Equipment fell over and ignited other supplies in the back of the truck, according to a spokesperson for the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s office.

The Fire Marshall’s Office considers the incident an accident. The truck explosion is being investigated by the Massachusetts State Police, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section.

Source: Two NH men hurt in truck explosion, Nashua Telegram, June 11, 2010 Continue reading

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On Tuesday morning, a two-vehicle accident on Route 140 killed one person and injured two others. Police have not released the name of the deceased person pending notification of the car accident victim‘s family. He or she was riding in a 1995 Ford Escort driven by a Shrewsbury, Massachusetts woman. The passenger was pronounced dead after being transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

The Escort’s driver and the driver of a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer both sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the collision. According to a police press release, they were also transported by ambulance to UMass Memorial.

Traffic at the intersection was temporarily rerouted following the motor vehicle accident.

Source: 1 killed, 2 injured in Route 140 accident, Telegram.com, June 9, 2010 Continue reading

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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Bay State ranks 47th in the country for seat belt use. Currently, Massachusetts motorists and passengers are supposed to wear seat belts, but failure to do so is considered a secondary offense. In other words, police officers cannot pull over a driver for failure to wear a seat belt. They must pull over motorists for primary offenses like speeding or running a red light.

Some argue that changing the seat belt laws in Massachusetts could lead to racial profiling by police officers, but others say it’s a necessary safety measure. According to one Falmouth, requiring Massachusetts drivers and passengers to buckle their seat belts could save eighteen lives and prevent 600 serious injuries per year.

According to recent statistics, those are who are involved in a car accident and are not wearing a seat belt have an 83% percent chance of death. That number drops to just 34% when the person is wearing a seat belt. The Commonwealth is also entitled to an additional $13.6 million in federal funding if it tightens its seat belt law.

Source: Seat belt law change could be difference between life and death, MetroWest Daily News, May 30, 2010 Continue reading

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On Friday afternoon, an 87-year-old man from Brockon, Massachusetts died in a single vehicle crash on Route 95. It is believed that the driver had some sort of medical emergency while behind the wheel, but the state medical examiner’s office has yet to determine the cause of death.

Witnesses say the man was driving north in a 2000 Toyota Avalon when he drifted from lane to lane. He then veered off the road and onto the grass median, turning over times before landing in the Route 95 high-speed lane and ejecting the man. The car crash occurred around 6pm on Friday. Emergency rescue personnel from the Hope Valley Fire Department declared the man dead at the scene at 6:10pm.

According to police, a 1999 BMW managed to stop before hitting the overturned vehicle. One passenger in the car, a 77-year-old from Brockton, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Rhode Island Hospital.

Source: Massachusetts man, 87, dies in crash on Route 95 in Exeter, Providence Journal, June 6, 2010 Continue reading

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Police in Lynn have charged a 19-year-old with violating the “social host law,” which prohibits the sale, delivery, or furnishing of alcoholic beverages to minors. According to the law, “furnishing” can include allowing those under 21 to possess alcoholic beverages on premises or property owned or controlled by the defendant. Violations are punishable with up to a $2,000 fine and/or imprisonment for up to one year.

The fatal auto accident occurred in March, when several teens drank alcohol at a party thrown by the 19-year-old Lynn man and were later involved in a motor vehicle accident.

A 19-year-old woman was ejected through the sunroof and died after her boyfriend crashed his Toyota 4Runner. Two passengers also suffered minor injuries in the car crash. The driver involved in the motor vehicle accident has been charged with motor vehicle homicide, failure to stop at a stop sign, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

Source: Lynn teen charged in fatal accident, The Daily Item, June 2, 2010 Continue reading

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