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A car accident can shake anyone to their core and leave them feeling helpless. However, you must act quickly to ensure that your rights are protected and you have a speedy recovery. At the same time, you should know what to avoid to prevent any conflicts or complications. If you or a loved one has endured a car accident, following these dos and don’ts could save you a lot of time, money, and trouble.

Dos

  • Call the police. Call 911 as soon as possible and then provide emergency personnel with all information about the accident so they can accurately document it, as well as safeguard people and vehicles involved.

During this time of year, people rush to visit family and friends and purchase last-minute gifts, making the roads busier than ever. In extreme weather, people tend to forget to slow down and be careful on the ice and the snow and instead focus on getting to their destinations as quickly as possible. 

Yet, driving in the snow and ice is no cakewalk, and drivers need to remember to be very careful. Before the next storm, keep these tips from Mass.gov top of your mind: 

  • Invest in an Ice Scraper and Brushes: Remove snow and ice from your vehicles, including from your windows, bumpers, license plate, hood, and roof, before driving. 

After an accident, a Massachusetts driver can usually collect damages from the at-fault party’s insurance. However, there is a chance that the other driver does not carry insurance, which could make receiving compensation difficult, if not impossible. Approximately 6% of Massachusetts drivers do not have insurance, putting themselves and other motorists at risk of a frustrating financial struggle after a collision. Therefore, Massachusetts law requires drivers to carry uninsured motorist coverage.

Required Insurance Coverage in Massachusetts

This insurance covers bodily injury due to an accident and is known as uninsured motorist bodily injury (UMBI). Massachusetts drivers are required to carry $20,000 in UMBI coverage (up to $40,000 per accident). However, coverage for property damage is not required. This is known as uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD) insurance and pays to repair or replace the driver’s vehicle. Drivers in Massachusetts can also carry collision insurance, which covers repairs after any accident.

Millions of Americans will soon be boarding planes, trains, and automobiles to travel to see loved ones this holiday season. Our team at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers want to remind everyone traveling this holiday season to stay safe with these helpful travel tips:

  • Avoid peak travel times: When planning your travel time, avoid peak dates and times. 
  • Know your airport: If you are traveling by plane, make sure to know your route.Checking alternate airports can help in the long run; the smaller the airport, the fewer flights and delays. 

Often, we focus on is the rights of the drivers in the wake of a car crash. But what if you are a passenger? Do you have rights? 

The answer is yes. But it is not as simple as that. Massachusetts is a No-Fault State, which means that all drivers in Massachusetts must have Personal Injury Protection, which covers up to $2,000 dollars in medical expenses and up to $8,000 dollars in lost wages. 

Therefore, every person injured in the accident must receive compensation for the accident under their own insurance policy, regardless of who is at fault. This is in place in part to deter drivers from taking each other to court. 

If you’ve been seriously injured in a parking lot accident, the at-fault driver might not be the only partyparking-lot-1442053-300x200 responsible for the accident and your injuries.

Parking lot owners and operators are required to maintain their premises in a safe condition for both motorists and pedestrians. This includes keeping the premises well-lit and well maintained as well as installing bollards when appropriate.

Bollards are the short posts that you see in the space between parking lots, storefronts and bordering other areas where groups of pedestrians are likely to pass. These safety devices are about two to three feet in height and usually painted yellow or some other bright color. Most are made of metal or concrete and spaced out to create what’s known as a “bollard barricade.”

Motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians rank among the worst types of crashes. They often result in serious pedestrian accidents are commoninjury or death. An unprotected pedestrian walking across the street or on the side of a road is simply no match for a speeding vehicle made of steel and weighs more than a ton.

However, a new study released in May 2020 says not all vehicles are alike when it comes to pedestrian accidents.

Despite recent design changes, sport utility vehicles, also known as SUVs, are more likely to kill pedestrians than cars, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

IIHS notes that the number of individuals killed in motor vehicle accidents in the United States has dropped from more than 50,000 in 1980 to approximately 36,600 in 2018 thanks in part to safety advancements. In contrast, the number of pedestrians killed in motor vehicle collisions has been on the rise over the past ten years. Continue reading

In the Boston suburb of Brockton, a civil lawsuit over a school bus-teen car accident injury liability and damages is underway, with potentially millions of dollars on the line.teen driver car accident Boston

Four high school students piled into a car on their way to school. It was the morning of the junior prom. Nearly a mile from the school, the teen driver allegedly crossed the yellow line and slammed into a school bus. Her three passengers all suffered brain injuries. One was on life support for months, and has been rendered completely unable to care for herself.

The question is not only the amount of damages each teen and their parents suffered, but how much fault each defendant bears. Among the named defendants:

A series of fatal car accidents in Boston illustrate the many common issues victims face in seeking compensation for damages.

CBS Boston reported a police officer suffered serious injury in a 3-car crash in Worcester. In a separate incident, one man was killed in a 3-car crash in Auburn that occurred during a police pursuit.

Several fatal crashes have involved young drivers, including the death of a 16-year-old driver in a crash on Interstate 93 in Andover.GlassmanTeamLogo

Our Boston car accident lawyers know each of these collisions involved unique circumstances but are illustrative of the road risks we all face as we head into the height of the summer travel season in New England.

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Hit-and-run collisions are back in the news after Boston police found a women dead in the street late Thursday afternoon.

The 57-year old victim was located on Fottler and Hiawatha roads. She was pronounced deceased at the scene after “suffering from head trauma,” according to the Boston Police Department. The Associated Press reported police were searching for a dark-colored sedan with tinted windows and released blurry photos of the suspected hit-and-run driver taken from nearby security cameras. Family members of the victim made a plea for the driver, described as a long-haired, heavy set black woman, to come forward and turn herself in to police.844622_speed_2-300x168

Experienced Boston car accident lawyers know hit-and-run injury claims can be among the most difficult claims in which to recover damages. However, a personal injury or wrongful death claim may still be warranted against one or more parties. Seeking experienced legal help in the immediate aftermath of a collision is the best thing you can do to protect the financial welfare of you and your family. Continue reading

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