Articles Posted in Bus Accident

Driving is a daily activity for many, but it comes with its own set of risks. While we often don’t give it a second thought, our safety on the road is influenced by a variety of factors — the condition of our vehicle, the behavior of other drivers, weather conditions, and even the time of day. However, when it comes to driving in Massachusetts, certain times are more dangerous than others.

Boston Rush Hour

Traffic Rush Hours

The most dangerous time to drive in Massachusetts is during the early evening, between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to a study that analyzes NHTSA data on crashes and fatal accidents. Saturday was found to have more crashes reported than any other day of the week.

Massachusetts courts do recognize that when a driver suffers a sudden medical emergency immediately prior to a car accident, he or she cannot be found liable for the crash. Applicability of the sudden medical emergency doctrine continues to be weighed by courts in the Commonwealth, as the defense always raises questions as to whether the medical emergency was foreseeable (i.e., was it sudden seizure or someone who knew they had epilepsy? etc.), and also whether strict liability may apply anyway.bus driver

Some states have considered sudden medical emergency to be an absolute defense against liability in a traffic accident (see the Ohio Supreme Court’s 2003 decision in Roman v. Estate of Gobbo).

Recently, the Utah Supreme Court considered this issue, finding that strict liability can still be imposed on a driver who suffers sudden incapacity. The case involves a motor coach driver who suffered a sudden and unforeseeable loss of consciousness.  Continue reading

While there are many news articles about car crashes between privately-owned vehicles and vehicles owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), or the “T” as it is commonly called, there has been a renewed interest in a serious accident involving a street car that occurred in Boston 100 years ago.  This accident resulted in 46 deaths and is considered as the city’s largest catastrophe to be forgotten by time.

street carAs discussed in a recent news article from Bostinno, on November 6, 1916, a Boston trolley car was filled with commuters during evening rush hour.  This was Election Day, and the contest that year was between Woodrow Wilson, who obviously won the election, and Justice Charles Evans Hughes of the United States Supreme Court.  The polls had just closed prior to the streetcar crash. Continue reading

Accidents involving large commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses often result in more severe personal injury than accidents involving passenger cars, or even death.  The reason for this is that a commercial vehicle generally weights at least 10,000 pounds, and some dump trucks when loaded can be upwards of 80 tons.  An average bus weighs around 30,000 pounds.

mWypFbUAccording to a recent news feature from the Boston Herald, a woman in Worcester County died as a result of injuries she sustained during a car accident involving a school bus.  Authorities have said the 57-year-old woman was riding as passenger in a car driven by a 33-year-old man from Rhode Island when she was killed. Continue reading

According to a recent report from the Boston Herald, a head-on collision involving an area school bus resulted in one woman being seriously injured and several students on the bus having suffered what are being described as minor injuries.  The school bus crash occurred in Sudbury just before 4 p.m.

mWypFbUAuthorities say the female driver, who is 73 years old, was driving a passenger sedan that was badly damaged in the bus crash. She was seriously injured and trapped in her crushed vehicle.  When first responders arrived on the scene, they called for a fire department rescue squad and rescue personnel were eventually able to extract the victim from her car and take her to a local level one trauma center.  The bus was said to be transporting players on the girl’s rugby team.  Continue reading

Authorities have said an 80-year-old woman was killed in a fatal bus crash involving a minivan and a school bus in Worcester, Massachusetts.  According to a recent news article from the Worcester Telegram, the woman’s husband was also seriously injured in the crash.   The accident is still under investigation, but it is believed that what is being called “extreme sun glare” played a major role in the accident.

bus-stop-1444019-mApparently, the sun glare was so bad that officers who responded to the scene of the deadly Worcester County car accident said they could barely see anything due to the glare. As for the accident itself, authorities have said the decedent was driving their minivan around 4:30 p.m. when she allegedly crashed into a bus that was making a turn. The minivan collided head first into the side of a school bus, causing substantial damage to the minivan. The driver was coming out of a parking lot when making the turn.  Continue reading

Seat belts save lives in motor vehicle accidents. As many as 15,000 annual car crash deaths are prevented yearly as a result of motorists wearing seat belts. Unfortunately, school children and others who ride school buses for field trips or events often do not have the option to take the life-saving step of buckling up. bus-stop-1444019-m

Many school buses in Massachusetts and nationwide do not come equipped with standard three-point belts, like those found in virtually all other types of motor vehicles. The fact school buses are not required to have adequate seat belts has become a big cause for concern, with the new leader of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) making clear the lack of required seat belts on buses is a “gaping obvious hole in our safety measures.”

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Any car accident involving a pedestrian has the possibility of resulting in severe personal injury or death. We are talking about a car weighing upwards of 2,000 pounds colliding with a pedestrian with no form of protection whatsoever. When the accident involves a bus that can easily weight 40,000 pounds, the accident can have horrific consequences. According to a recent news report form NBC News, a man was rushed to a level-one trauma center after being trapped underneath a Greyhound bus in downtown Washington, DC.

tiretreadAuthorities have said the 70-year-old man was severely injured when he was hit by the bus and then pinned underneath it for around 20 minutes until first responders could free him and transport him to the hospital. According to witnesses, the man was at the corner of 7th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, when the bus approached the corner. The bus made contact with the man as it was making a left hand turn, and he managed to get trapped under the rear dual tires of the bus. Continue reading

Anyone who lives in Boston has probably seen the Duck Tours boats riding around the streets or in the Charles River. The duck boats used in Boston, and various other tourist destinations around that world, are mainly World War II surplus amphibious vehicles designated as DUKWs. These DUKWs, nicknamed Ducks, by service members, are six-axle modified trucks designed to run on land and in water as a boat complete with a rudder and propeller. The vehicles were used to carry troops over rivers and beaches during invasions in the European theater of operations.

duck-with-reflection-1400851Since the end of the war, the Marines and Army no longer needed these vehicles, and many were scrapped. However, some still survive, and many of these are used give tours around Boston and other cities. The ones in Boston are given names like “Haymarket Hannah” and have become a very popular tourist attraction. Continue reading

Former mayor of Attleboro Judy Robbins was still well-loved and respected by the people of the city she served for more than four decades. Tragically, she has now died at the age of 78 in a motor vehicle accident involving her car and a regional bus. according to a recent news article from the Boston Globe.

interior-car-details-4-223790-mAuthorities say the bus was driving down Route 1 in North Attleboro around 2 p.m., when it pulled over to the right-hand lane to drop off a passenger, and the former mayor’s car crashed into it from behind. As soon as the accident occurred, bystanders called 911, and some ran over to the scene to see if there was anything they could do to help. Continue reading

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