Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A Lynn, Massachusetts drunk driving accident is being blamed for seriously injuring a man riding a moped early Saturday morning, the Item reported.

The accident happened about 1:30 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of North Street and Liberty Hill Avenue, according to Salem police.

As Labor Day approaches, it is a good time to remind friends and family members about the dangers of drinking and driving. Somewhere in the United States, a motorist is killed in a drunk driving accident every 45 minutes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nationwide, about one-third of all fatal accidents involve alcohol, leading to 11,773 deaths in 2008.

And this was the second serious Massachusetts scooter accident in as many days. We reported on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog that an emergency room doctor was killed in a scooter accident in Boston on Friday.

In this case, the 35-year-old rider was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries. The 25-year-old driver of the Passat allegedly failed several field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest on a second offense of driving under the influence of alcohol. She also faces a felony charge of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol with serious bodily injury.

Police say she tested .17, over twice the legal limit. Her driver's license was seized and destroyed by police. The moped suffered heavy front end damage and the rider was ejected as a result of the accident.

Continue reading "Lynn car accident blamed on drunk driver; moped rider seriously injured " »

Safety advocates hope new mandatory training for underage riders will help reduce the risk of serious and fatal Massachusetts motorcycle accidents involving teenagers.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed the new law requiring riders ages 16 to 18 to take the course before applying for a junior license.

Dubbed "Ryan's Bill," the measure is named for a Brockton teen who was killed in an accident, according to the Milford Daily News. It had the support of safety and riding advocates, including the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association.

The association reports that about 1 in 4 fatal motorcycle accidents involve riders under the age of 21 and more than half of all fatal crashes involve riders with no formal rider safety training.

Before the new law, young riders needed only to pass a vision test and a written examination. The motorcycle association said the safety courses will be available in more than a dozen locations across the state.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 5,290 riders were killed in accidents nationwide in 2008 and more than 96,000 were injured. Motorcycle accidents in Massachusetts killed 41 riders that year.

The law is named for Ryan Orcutt, who was 16 years old when he died in a motorcycle accident.

Continue reading "Rider safety courses aimed at reducing serious and fatal Massachusetts motorcycle accidents" »

A Boston motorcycle accident injured a police officer Saturday morning, the Globe reported.

A Honda Civic collided with the Boston police motorcycle near the Thomas P. O'Neill Tunnel, shortly after 8:30 a.m., according to Massachusetts State Police.

The officer was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries.

Motorcycle riders will be out in large numbers through the upcoming Labor Day weekend and the remainder of the summer riding season. Also this weekend, the Massachusetts Motorcyclists Survivor's Fund hosted Nelson's Ride, an 11th Annual Event in memory of a 37-year-old Essex rider who was killed in a motorcycle accident after a teenage driver pulled out in front of his bike.

The memorial ride began in Gloucester and went through Manchester, Beverly, Wenham, Hamilton, Ipswich and Essex.

The accident resulted in 2004 Nelly's Bill, which is a law aimed at motorcycle awareness programs in high school drivers education courses. The program reminds drivers to "Check Twice."

That is advice we should all follow as riding season enters the final frenzied months of fall.

Continue reading "Accident involving police officer a reminder for motorists to help reduce risk of Boston motorcycle accidents this fall" »

A deadly weekend of Massachusetts traffic accidents involved a wrong-way driver, a fatal motorcycle accident and a deadly Massachusetts semi accident, the Boston Herald reported.

Two people were killed in a Worcester, Massachusetts car accident early Saturday morning on Route 190. Massachusetts State Police report that the accident happened about 3:20 a.m. when a 23-year-old Worcester woman traveling south in the northbound lanes hit a truck driven by a 23-year-old Fitchburg man.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the truck was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

An hour later on Route 495 north in Haverville, a New Hampshire motorist was killed in an accident. Authorities report she struck a guardrail and spun into the path of a tractor trailer. The force of the impact ejected her from the vehicle and she was then struck by a second semi. Police are investigating whether she was using a cell phone at the time.

ABC5 reported that a Boston motorcycle accident killed a rider and injured three others in a crash Saturday night at the intersection of Rutherford Avenue and Austin Street in Charlestown.

Cause of that accident remains under investigation by the Boston Police Accident Reconstruction Team.

Continue reading "Massachusetts semi accident, Boston motorcycle accident contribute to deadly weekend on the roads" »

Over the coming weeks, the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Glassman will look at some of the most common causes of serious and fatal Massachusetts car accidents and traffic accidents nationwide.

In truth, few accidents are really accidents. Distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding and other poor driving habits usually contribute to serious or fatal car accidents in Massachusetts. As a veteran Massachusetts injury lawyer and Boston wrongful death attorney, Jeffrey S. Glassman is frequently called to represent families who are struggling to cope in the wake of a serious or fatal traffic accident.

We hope you will take some time to review safe driving habits with your family, particularly young drivers, and that you will check back often for updates.

-Massachusetts drunk driving accidents killed 153 of the 363 motorists who died on our roads in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

-Ten people were killed in Massachusetts bicycle accidents, although the Boston Globe recently reported more than 800 are injured each year.

-Forty-one people died in Massachusetts motorcycle accidents.

-Seventy-five people were killed in Massachusetts pedestrian accidents.

In the coming weeks we will review some of the common causes of accidents in Massachusetts, including:

-Distracted Driving
-Drunk Driving
-Aggressive Driving
-Speeding
-Intersection Crashes
-Rear-end Collisions
-Drowsy Driving
-Motorcycle Accidents
-Pedestrian Accidents
-Bicycle Accidents
-Trucking Accidents
-Red-light Violations
-Driving in inclement weather
-Teen Driving
-Elderly Drivers
-Driving in Parking Lots
-Commuting and Freeway Driving

Together, we can reduce the chances that you and your family will face the struggles that often accompany a serious traffic accident.

Continue reading "Safe driving series to examine common causes of Massachusetts traffic accidents" »

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month as officials kick off the annual campaign to remind motorists about the summer bike season in an effort to reduce Massachusetts motorcycle accidents and serious and fatal motorcycle crashes nationwide.

As we reported last month on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, spring is a dangerous time for motorcycle accidents as new riders take to the streets and veteran riders hit the road. In Massachusetts, 41 riders were killed in motorcycle accidents in 2008. Nationwide, 5,178 riders died and nearly 100,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Boston Globe reported that orange "Motorcycles are Everywhere" bumper stickers have been spotted throughout the Boston area as the weather clears and riding season begins. Last year, poor weather kept many riders off the roads until mid-summer.

"There are more bikes out on the road early this spring," Newburyport motorcycle shop owner Tim Smith told The Globe. The stickers, which also proclaim "Check twice -- save a life," were the creation of Bob Doiron, who lived in Somerville when he first started making the stickers in 1982. Doiron was one of the founders of what is now the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association.

The association successfully pushed for a 2002 law that proclaims the last week of March and all of April be dedicated to motorcycle awareness as well as the month of May, which is recognized nationwide. Today the stickers are in the hands of Paul Cote, of Amesbury, who is a spokesperson and advocate for motorcycle rights throughout Massachusetts.

Cote urges cyclists to make sure they are carrying sufficient insurance under Part 3 (bodily injury cased by an uninsured motorist), Part 5 (optional bodily injury to others) and Part 12 (bodily injury cases by an underinsured auto), noting it only costs about $40 to carry an extra $100,000 in coverage.

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles reports that a motorcycle accident is most likely to occur:

- When a motorist is making a left turn in front of a motorcycle rider.

- When a motorcycle is riding in a vehicle's blind spot.

- When hazardous road conditions are present, including potholes, railroad tracks, wet leaves or other obstructions.

- In vehicles that have an obstructed line of sight, such as cases where an SUV, delivery van, bus, or large truck is blocking sight of a motorcycle.

Continue reading "Motorcycle Awareness Month aims to reduce number of Massachusetts motorcycle 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.