Massachusetts workers' compensation

January 4, 2011

Massachusetts car accidents injuries trooper; Move Over law aims to protect crews from work accidents in Boston

Mass Live reports a trooper with the Massachusetts State Police has been seriously injured after being struck from behind by another driver on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Our Boston car accident attorneys and Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers reported frequently last year on the dangers faced by troopers and other employees who drive for a living. At least five troopers were seriously injured or killed in car accidents last year. In each of the last two years, about 20 cruisers have been struck by drunk drivers.

Nearly 40 percent of all work accident are the result of transportation injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last year, 1,682 workers were killed in transportation accidents. A total of 4,340 were killed in work accidents nationwide.

Trooper Steven Larocco, 39, of the Northampton barracks, had stopped to assist the driver of a Jeep Liberty near exit 8 when his cruiser was struck from behind by a Dodge Avenger. The driver of the Avenger was not injured by his two passengers were also taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment. The Avenger’s driver was cited for having an open container of alcohol in the car and for failure to take care in stopping.

As we reported last month on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, the state’s Move Over law requires that drivers move over and/or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles with activated flashing lights.

Please obey the law and do your part to help get our emergency crews home safe to their families in 2011.
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November 2, 2010

Massachusetts trucking accidents a common cause of workers’ compensation, personal injury, wrongful death claims

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A Boston trucking accident seriously injured the driver of a tractor-trailer after his semi rolled over on the I-495 South ramp to I-95 South on Monday afternoon, the Sun Chronicle reported.

Our Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers and Boston car accident attorneys are frequently called to handle serious and fatal trucking accidents.

The 45-year-old trucker was flown by helicopter to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. His injuries were described as life-threatening. The ramp has been the scene of numerous truck rollovers in the past. The truck was carrying a load of candles, which did not spill, but the ramp was closed for hours.

Transportation accidents are one of the leading causes of workplace accidents, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nationwide, more than 40 percent of the fatal work accidents in 2008 were caused by transportation incidents. Such accidents were responsible for 2,130 of the 5,214 fatal on-the-job accidents.

But those at the greatest risk of being seriously or fatally injured in a trucking accident are other motorists on the road. Passenger vehicles do not stand a chance in an accident with a large truck or other commercial vehicle. Nationwide, one out of every nine traffic fatalities involves a large truck, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In 2008, a total of 4,229 motorists were killed and more than 90,000 were injured in accidents with large trucks. Of those, only 677 fatalities and 23,000 injuries occurred to truck occupants. The vast majority of injuries occurred to the occupants of other vehicles or to bicyclists or pedestrians.

Consulting with a Boston auto accident lawyer with the knowledge and experience to handle serious and fatal accidents involving large trucks is critical to protecting your rights and the financial well-being of you and your family. Such cases are often complex and involve multiple victims and accidents claims, in-state and out-of-state trucking companies, drivers and insurance companies, and state and federal trucking regulations.
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June 21, 2010

Massachusetts drunk driving accident claims life of state trooper at road construction site

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Two motorists have been charged in the wake of an alleged Massachusetts drunk driving accident that claimed the life of a state trooper.

The accident occurred early Friday on I-95 in Mansfield, the Sun-Chronicle reported. The trooper was blocking an exit ramp as crews established a construction site when he stopped a motorist for attempting the get around his cruiser. Another vehicle slammed into them, fatally injuring the trooper and dragging him across all three lanes of travel.

The 43-year-old Walpole man who was driving the first vehicle allegedly tested .20 upon a blood-alcohol examination, well over twice the legal limit of .08 in Massachusetts. The man reportedly works in the probation department of Boston Municipal Court, where part of his job is assisting with the electronic monitoring of drunk driving offenders.

The other driver, a 45-year-old Hyde Park man, was expected to be freed on $10,000 bail after pleading not guilty to a number of charges, including motor vehicle homicide and drunk driving. His defense attorney said the defendant tested .07, below the legal limit for drunk driving.

As we reported recently on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, a 34-year-old woman is also facing vehicular homicide charges after a Massachusetts car accident at a road construction site claimed the life of a man working on Route 3 in Chelmsford in December.

Emergency responders and construction workers are often injured in Massachusetts road construction accidents. Accidents at construction sites are also a leading cause of Massachusetts workers’ compensation claims.
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