According to a recent news article from The Boston Herald, a woman was killed after crashing her car into an eyeglass store in Medford, Massachusetts just north of Boston. The accident occurred in the early morning hours.
As Boston car accident lawyers can explain, there are often single vehicle accidents that are not the fault of the driver. While this may seem counterintuitive, there are various reasons this can occur. One common cause is a defective vehicle or defective vehicle component. In these cases, it is the defective component that causes the driver to lose control. We have seen cases where the accelerator gets stuck, or where the cruise control engages by itself and will not turn off. We have also seen accidents where the brakes failed or a component in the steering system failed, and this resulted in a total loss of control. In these cases, you might have a valid claim against the manufacturer and other parties related to the sale of the vehicle.
In other cases, a vehicle crash may occur due to defective maintenance or repair work. These days, very few people have the skills, time, or tools to work on a car themselves, so they will either rely on the dealer if the car is under warranty, or a garage or service center not owned by the carmaker. In either case, when we bring a vehicle to get serviced, we are trusting that the workers will all be properly trained and certified when necessary and work carefully so as to avoid any issues that could result in a car accident.
For example, when you take your car to have the oil changed and tires rotated, you are trusting that the garage will inspect the tires to make sure there is proper tread and let you know if there is a problem. You are also trusting that the mechanic will properly replace of the bolts using a torque wrench to insure they are tight. If this was not done properly, a wheel could fall off while the car is in motion. This could obviously result in a serious or even fatal car accident. This would also possibly be single vehicle accident that is not the fault of the driver.
The point is that if you or a family member is involved in a serious or fatal single vehicle crash, just because the police do not sight another driver does not mean you are necessarily responsible. You may have a valid claim. However, this is not true in every case, since the facts are never the same, so you should speak with an experienced attorney about your actual situation.
If you are injured in an accident in Massachusetts, call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment — (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Woman dies after crashing into Medford Lens Crafters store, April 7, 2017, By O’Ryan Johnson, Boston Herald
More Blog Entries:
School in Falmouth Holds Memorial for Student Athletes Killed in Crash, Feb. 12, 2017, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog