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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 Continue reading

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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 Continue reading

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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 Continue reading

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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 Continue reading

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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 Continue reading

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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 Continue reading

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Early Tuesday morning, a Massachusetts woman died in a two-vehicle crash on Route 93 in Wilmington. When troopers responded to the call at 1:17am, they discovered a 2006 Nissan Altima that had been traveling north on Route 93 when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and hit the left guardrail. The Nissan ended up in the left travel lane, where it was hit by a 2006 Honda Accord.

The 22-year-old driver of the Nissan was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Burlington, where she was pronounced dead. The driver of the Honda, a 35-year-old North Andover man was taken to the same hospital and treated for injuries. Following the car crash, the two left travel lanes were closed for roughly two hours during the crash investigation and vehicle removal.

The fatal car accident is still being investigated by the Massachusetts State Police, the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section.

Source: Tewksbury woman dies in two-car crash in Wilmington, GateHouse News Service, February 23, 2010 Continue reading

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On Wednesday, Toyota announced a deal that will help the more than 500,000 owners of recalled vehicles in New York state. The recall was prompted by a car accident last year that killed a highway patrol officer and three of his family members when the accelerator pedal got stuck and the vehicle hurtled ahead at more than 100 mph. The carmaker has since recalled more than 8.5 million cars worldwide due to issues like unintended acceleration and brake issues.

In light of the recall, Toyota has promised to pick and return vehicles scheduled for repair in New York state. They will also provide alternative transportation while owners are “unable or unwilling” to drive their cars, and arrange to transport owners to their dealerships or workplaces. These special arrangements will be provide to drivers at no cost.

At least four other states, including Massachusetts, have contacted Toyota to request similar arrangements.

Sources: Toyota recall pact with NY sought by other states, Reuters, February 24, 2010
New details in crash that prompted Toyota recall, LA Times, October 25, 2009 Continue reading

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On Monday afternoon, a tour bus accident in Florida killed two people and injured several others. The tour group is based out of Boston and three Massachusetts residents are believed to be among the bus crash victims, although authorities have not released the names of those killed.

All but one of the people on the bus were transported to local hospitals. The passengers ranged in age from 66 to 87.

A Florida Highway Patrol crash report states that an 81-year-old woman in a Mercury Sable failed to yield right of the bus and the vehicles crashed into each other. The bus apparently rolled over twice before it landed on its side. The driver of the Sable was not injured. As of last night, no charges had been filed in conjunction with the roadway accident.

Source: Names Of Dead In Fla. Bus Crash Still Unknown, TheBostonChannel.com, February 23, 2010 Continue reading

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Our Boston personal injury lawyers recently read about two unrelated car crashes that occurred on Friday and Saturday of last week. On Friday evening, a rollover accident on Interstate 84 in Sturbridge killed a Worcester woman. The 25-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident after an SUV hit the truck she was riding in.

Two other people were ejected from the truck and seriously injured, but the driver of the truck was not injured. The SUV driver and his passengers suffered minor injuries. Police say the SUV driver was charged with speeding and may face more severe charges once the accident investigation is completed.

Early Saturday morning, another car accident occurred in Boylston, Massachusetts when a 21-year-old woman’s vehicle crossed the center lane and crashed into a utility pole on Route 70. The car burst into flame and the driver died. Police are still investigating.

Source: Two killed in central Mass. crashes, Boston Globe, February 20, 2010 Continue reading

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