Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

The Governors Highway Safety Association and State Highway Safety Agencies are joining forces with Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Studios to fight distracted driving on "No Phone Zone Day," set for this Friday, April 30.

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of Massachusetts car accidents and Boston University will be participating with a campus rally on Friday, which is being supported by the Massachusetts Highway Safety Division.

The government recognizes three primary types of distracted driving --visual, manual and cognitive -- and has become increasingly vocal about the dangers of cell phone use, and particularly text messaging while driving, which involves all three forms of distraction.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's website, www.distraction.gov, cites a number of sobering statistics:

-Using a cell phone while driving reduces the amount of brain activity dedicated to driving by 37 percent.

-An estimated 6,000 motorists died in accidents involving distracted drivers in 2008 and more than 500,000 were injured.

-Drivers using hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash.

-Younger, inexperienced drivers have the highest proportion of fatal accidents caused by distracted driving.

-Using a cell phone while driving, whether it's hands-free or hand-held, impairs a motorist's driving ability as much as a blood-alcohol level of .08, the legal limit for drunk driving in Massachusetts.

On Friday, the Oprah Winfrey Show will be devoted to the dangers of using a cell phone or texting while driving. In addition to Boston, special viewing rallies will be held in Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. A new nationwide public service campaign will debut during the show and participants and viewers will be asked to take a pledge to make their cars "No Phone Zones."

Examples of distracted driving include:

-Using a cell phone

-Eating or drinking

-Talking to passengers

-Grooming

-Reading, including maps

-Using a navigation system

-Watching a video

-Using other on-board electronics, including the stereo or CD player.

Those wishing to take the "No Phone Zone" pledge can visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone.

Continue reading "Boston University to participate in "No Phone Zone Day" this Friday; effort aimed at reducing Massachusetts car accidents" »

A trio of single-vehicle traffic accidents in the Boston area have claimed three lives in as many days as authorities continue to investigate.

Two men were killed in separate single-vehicle crashes on Saturday afternoon, according to Channel 5 News.

A Wareham traffic accident killed the driver of a 2003 Toyota Tundra, who veered off the shoulder of I-195 and was trapped after the rollover accident, Massachusetts State Police reported.

A Millbury motorcycle accident killed a 48-year-old South Grafton rider, who went off Route 146 southbound and into the median. The rider was thrown from the bike and landed in the road. He was transported to UMass Medical Center in Worcester, where he later died.

A 2004 Scituate High School graduate died from injuries sustained in a Pembroke car accident on Thursday afternoon, the Patriot Ledger reported.

The 24-year-old woman was the passenger in a 1993 Toyota pickup that rolled over several times in the northbound lanes of Route 3, shortly after 1:30 p.m. Both the woman and the 26-year-old driver were thrown from the vehicle. She died on Friday at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. The driver was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where he remained in critical condition on Monday.

Police continue to investigate the causes of the accidents.

Distracted driving has become a nationwide epidemic and is a leading cause of Boston car accidents.

An estimated 6,000 people a year are killed by drivers attempting to multitask while behind the wheel of an automobile. One local company is pushing a three-year initiative to teach teens about the dangers through high-tech driver's education News Center 5 reported.

As we reported earlier this week on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer blog, 5,864 young people were involved in fatal car accidents in 2008, including 68 who were killed in Massachusetts. Nationwide, car accidents are the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 20.

Authorities are trying to spread the word among teenagers, using a 36-foot bus, outfitted with a high-tech mobile classroom simulator created by Dr. Donald Fisher, head of the college of engineering at UMass-Amherst.

"Who really listens to their parents?" Fisher asked. "You need to experience something before you learn something."

Fisher noted that drivers who are text messaging are 23 times more likely to be in a crash or near crash than a driver who is focused on the road. The computer-based classroom tests driver awareness using simulated road hazards. The $1.4 million mobile classroom is being sponsored by the charitable foundation of Arbella Insurance.

Newly licensed drivers who complete the simulator test and a short online course are given a $15 gas card. The course, called Distractology 101, is hitting the roads to police stations and high school parking lots across Massachusetts.

Continue reading "High-tech simulator battles distracted driving in effort to reduce Massachusetts car accidents" »

April 23, 2010 (NewYorkInjuryNews.com - Injury News, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury Accidents)

A crash between a car and MBTA bus resulted in 3 people injured.

Boston MA - A car traveling down Commonwealth Avenue hit a pole and subsequently crashed into the rear of a MBTA van, Wednesday April 21, 2010, injuring three people, as reported by WHDH-TV.

The MBTA "The Ride" van was parked in Kenmore Square just after midnight to unload two passengers, a woman in an electric wheelchair and her caregiver. The women were returning from a Celtics game.

When the car hit the van, the woman in the wheelchair tipped over and the van's driver was hurled about 10 feet through the air. The caregiver escaped injury.

Both van driver and handicapped woman were hospitalized. The woman in the wheelchair broke her arm and may require surgery, according to reports. The driver's injuries were non-life threatening.

The car that smashed into the bus sustained serious damage to its front end. A passenger in the car was transported to the local hospital for evaluation as well.

Reports from My Fox Boston indicated a passenger in the car fled the scene.

While no arrests were made, the investigation remains underway.

Legal News Reporter: Tara Monks - Legal news for Massachusetts automobile accident lawyers.

Insurance companies are gearing up to recover losses from Toyota on claims insurers paid for accidents caused by defective vehicles, the Associated Press reported.

Toyota owners may also be eligible for reimbursement of deductibles and out-of-pocket medical expenses. However, consulting with a Boston car accident lawyer experienced in handling defective vehicle claims is the best course of action for anyone dealing with a traffic accident involving a defective vehicle.

The move by some of the nation's largest insurers, including Geico, State Farm and Allstate, is the latest setback for the embattled automaker, which has recalled more than 6 million vehicles this year amid reports of sticking gas pedals, faulty brakes and other safety issues.

Earlier this month, Toyota agreed to pay a $16.375 fine levied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The largest fine ever imposed on an automaker by the U.S. government accused Toyota of "failing to report known safety problems as it is required to do under the law."

And the problems continued last week after Consumer Reports issued a rare "Don't Buy" warning against the Lexus GX 460 SUV, part of Toyota's flagship luxury line, amid concerns about possible rollover accidents. Toyota issued a recall after the report.

The NHTSA has linked 52 deaths to claims of sudden acceleration in Toyotas. More than 100 personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits have been field across the country. Those suits are currently being consolidated by a federal judge in California, along with more than 100 suits from Toyota owners claiming they have been financially harmed by the falling resale values of their vehicles.

Continue reading "Insurers to sue Toyota for claims; Massachusetts car accident victims may be entitled to refund" »

Four teenagers were injured in a weekend Boston car accident after their SUV struck a tree early Saturday morning, the Boston Globe reported.

The accident occurred about 4 a.m. in a Newton Corner neighborhood, sending all four 15-year-old occupants to the hospital, according to the Massachusetts State Police. Emergency personnel used the Jaws of Life to help free the teens, whom were taken to local hospitals with undisclosed injuries.

With summer break rapidly approaching, having a serious conversation with your teenager about the dangers of unsafe driving can be a good way to help ensure your child is not involved in a serious Massachusetts traffic accident.

Tragically, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 20, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In 2008, 5,864 young people were involved in fatal car accidents; 2,739 were killed and more than 228,000 injured. In Massachusetts, 68 young people were killed. And, while youth ages 15 to 20 represent 9 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 20 percent of all traffic fatalities.

A study of teen drivers conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in 2005 reached a startling conclusion: Of the 11,819 driver's licenses issued to 16-year-old drivers, one-third, or 4,018, were involved in an accident. For 17-year-old drivers, the rate was 1 in 5. And for 18-year-old drivers, about 1 in 7.

The federal government offers a number of useful safety resources, available to teen drivers and their parents, available by clicking here.

By Nick Curcuru

The Gloucester woman who was trapped underneath her SUV for 90 minutes after a rollover crash on the southbound Exit 13 on-ramp of Route 128 Friday remains hospitalized.

According to officials at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Catherine Swauger, 66, is now listed in fair condition at the Boston Hospital as of last night.

Swauger was the driver and lone occupant of n SUV that went over a guardrail and down an embankment, trapping her for some 90 minutes. She was, however, alert and coherent, according to rescue crews. Massachusetts State police with the help of Gloucester police and fire rescue crews worked to free her; her leg and arm were trapped beneath her SUV, which was resting on its side. She was wearing a seatbelt, police said.

Swauger was transported to Beverly Hospital, where she was initially listed in critical condition but then transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Friday night.

We will update this story here at gloucestertimes.com if any more information becomes available.