Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog
A Stoughton car accident claimed the life of a Fall River woman and critically injured her passenger, after their pickup truck rolled over a Route 24 guardrail on Friday morning.
The Enterprise News reported that the vehicle ended up on the wrong side of the highway.
The 51-year-old driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 54-year-old passenger was transported to Boston Medical Center with serious injuries. Both drivers were wearing seat belts and neither was ejected.
Police believe the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel of her 1995 Toyota T100 while northbound on Route 24. The vehicle veered off the right side of the road shortly after 2 a.m. The driver apparently overcorrected, crossed all three lanes and slammed into the median guardrail. The truck then rolled over the guardrail and landed on the other side of the highway.
DrowsyDriving.org reports that 100,000 crashes a year are the direct result of driver fatigue. An estimated 1,550 motorists are killed and 71,000 are injured each year in accidents caused by drowsy drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Those at highest risk include:
-Adults between the ages of 18-29 are the most at-risk age group.
-Men are twice as likely as women to fall asleep while driving.
-Adults with children in the home are more likely to drive drowsy.
-Shift workers are at increased risk.
-Sleep deprivation puts a driver at twice the risk of an accident, when compared to drivers who get at least 8 hours of sleep per night.
If you have been injured in a Massachusetts car accident, contact Boston Injury Lawyer Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333.