Truck Accidents

December 29, 2017

Truck vs. Pedestrian Accidents

When a truck collides with a pedestrian in Boston, the injuries are often very severe if not fatal. It is possible that some pedestrian accidents involve a semi-tractor trailer, but the majority of truck accidents in Boston involve local delivery trucks, as they are much more common on the streets in our urban area. In these cases, there is often a claim for damages filed directly against the truck driver, and also against the driver’s employer under what is known as the doctrine of vicarious liability, or the master-servant doctrine. Yet another name for this law is the doctrine of respondeat superior, Latin for, “let the master answer.” It means that if a driver was negligent and acting in the course and scope of employment, the employer may be held liable too – even if there is no proof the employer was negligent.

According to a recent news article from the Boston Globe, a female victim was killed while crossing the street in Boston’s South End neighborhood after being hit by a truck. Authorities have said the accident occurred around 2:20 p.m. at a major downtown intersection. Police are still conducting an investigation as of the time of this article and have not yet released any information pertaining to the cause of the fatal Boston truck – pedestrian accident in which a woman was killed. There have been no criminal charges filed as of yet and there have also been no formal accusations of negligence. Continue reading

December 13, 2017

Litigating Boston Truck-Car Accidents in Boston

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Boston truck accidents are often inherently more serious and legally complex than a typical auto accident case. First, there are often more personal injuries, given the weight and size differential of semi-trucks to passenger vehicles. The chances of death may be much higher given the sheer force of impact.

From a legal standpoint, we are often dealing with numerous defendants. While some drivers own their rigs, it’s more typical for a carrier to own the rig and either hire the driver as an employee or an independent contractor. In some cases, the trailer may be owned by an entity other than the carrier. This was done in part to shield these companies from liability as much as possible, and it does make it trickier for injury lawyers to sort through the web of business contracts and liability insurance policies that may be applicable.

If the driver is an employee, the trucking company can be held vicariously liable per the legal doctrine of respondeat superior, or Latin for “let the master answer.” It isn’t necessary to prove the trucking company did anything wrong, only that the driver was negligent and acting in the course and scope of employment. However, that same doctrine does not apply when truckers are independent contractors. That doesn’t mean legal action against the company is impossible, but it does mean negligence will need to be proven, and there will most likely be numerous defendants.

September 28, 2017

Filing a Boston Truck Accident Lawsuit

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news report from CBS, two people were injured in an accident involving a car and dump truck in Dracut, Massachusetts. Authorities have said the collision, which occurred on Route 110, involved a woman who allegedly lost control of her vehicle and cross the double yellow line and then hit the dump truck head-on.

The collision was so violent that the dump truck rolled over and ended up on its side. When first responders arrived at the scene of the Boston area truck crash, they found the driver of the Toyota Camry to have suffered a serious personal injury. She was extracted from the vehicle and rushed to a local level one trauma center where she was listed as being in critical condition. The extent of the driver’s injuries have not been disclosed. The driver of the dump truck was also injured, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening at the time of the accident. There have been no charges filed as of this time and there have been no formal accusations of negligence on behalf of either driver. Continue reading

May 9, 2017

Two Killed in Bellingham Truck Accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The Milford Daily News recently reported a man from Bellingham was one of two killed in a fatal truck accident. One victim was 52-years-old at the time of his death, and the other victim was 61-years-old.

The accident involved a collision between a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a full-sized semi tractor-trailer. Following the accident, the truck had burst into flames, and the SUV was found on the side of the road with the front end destroyed and one side crushed. The driver of the truck and the driver or the SUV were both killed as result of the injuries they respectively sustained in his horrific truck vs. car accident. Continue reading

April 16, 2017

Hopkinton Semi Tractor-Trailer Accident Results in Injury

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news report from CBS Local Boston, a victim was injured in a serious car accident in Hopkinton that involved multiple vehicles, including two semi-tractor trailers that were heavily damaged. Hopkinton is located in the greater Boston area and is best known as the start of the Boston Marathon.

Authorities say the accident, which occurred around 10:30 a.m., had traffic backed up for over 10 miles as they worked to clear the massive wreck. In total, there was one semi-tractor trailer driven by a 54-year-old man, a second semi tractor-trailer being driving by a 42-year-old man, a box truck and two passenger vehicles, all driven by drivers in their early thirties. Continue reading

September 2, 2016

Accident on Mass Pike Involving Two Tractor Trailers Results in Ball of Fire

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Truck accidents are among the most serious types of motor vehicle accidents in Boston and across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While it is possible to escape a car accident unscathed, accidents involving a large commercial truck and a car, bicycle, motorcycle, or pedestrian often result in serious personal injury or even death as result of the tremendous amounts of weight and force from a tractor trailer.

According to a recent news feature from Mass Live, a tractor trailer burst into flames after being involved in a serious motor vehicle accident with another large tractor trailer on the Massachusetts Turnpike (Mass Pike). Continue reading

February 17, 2016

Report: Lawsuit Settled over Deadly Car Accident at Harvard Football Game

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent article from The Guardian, a lawsuit involving a 2011 car accident that occurred at the Yale vs. Harvard football game has finally reached a settlement.

Witnesses say students from a Yale fraternity were bringing kegs of beer to a tailgating event in a rented truck at the time of the accident. The driver of the truck was trying to get through a crowd of students that were headed to the game and decided to rev the truck’s engine to get their attention and get them to move out of the way of the truck. Continue reading

January 18, 2016

Enforcement Stepped up for Commercial Truck Driver Safety Week

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

At the end of year and the beginning of every year, the media likes to publish lists and remind us of events that took place during the past year. Some of these are lists of good things, others are just for entertainment, and some are lists of unfortunate events.

One of the events that takes place towards the end of every year in the fall is Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Operation Safe Driver Week. This commercial vehicle safety week involves increased weight and size safety inspections for commercial motor vehicles across the country. Continue reading

October 21, 2015

Train vs. Trailer Accident

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Authorities are reporting that an Amtrak train carrying about 150 passengers collided with the rear of a large, oversized-load trailer that managed to get in in the railroad crossing as the train was approaching according to WSPY.

Fortunately, there were no life-threatening injuries as result of what could have been a much more serious train accident. Police say the driver of the truck and the train engineer were both able walk away from the accident. There was passenger on the train that complained of some type of injury, and he was taken to a local hospital. Continue reading

May 1, 2015

Quincy Car Crash Leads to Bomb Making Arrest

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from the Boston Herald, authorities responded to a Quincy car accident on a Saturday night and found something that surprised them. Authorities reported defendant told them he was “an Idiot” for using a cigarette lighter to light his cigarette when he had gun powder in the front seat of his vehicle. This apparently to led to an explosion resulting in his eyebrows and eye lashes being burned off, at which point he is said to have crashed into a guardrail, resulting in serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

Authorities say they found bomb-making materials in his car and then obtained a warrant to search his home. During this search, authorities allegedly found precursor components, detonators and an incendiary device.

Prosecutors charged defendant with multiple counts of possession of a destructive device and possession of components used to make a destructive device. He is currently in Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston where court officials chose to hold his arraignment. During his arraignment, defendant was lying in a hospital bed with camera crews in his room. Defendant was seen trying to cover his face with a washcloth, saying he did not want to be on television, but then accidentally removed the washcloth too early, as his face was clearly captured by TV cameras. Though he is physically in a Boston hospital recovering from his car crash injuries, he is technically being held by the Quincy District Court without bond and will be transferred to the jail when he able to leave the hospital. It should be noted, he has not been convicted of any crimes and these are merely allegations.
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