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Tragedy has been reported in Alabama, where a charter bus crash killed one and injured several others after the bus plunged into a ravine. The Associated Press reports the bus was returning a group of high school band members back to Texas after a class trip to Disney World. The bus ran off the highway and into the deep pit. 

The driver died, while several of the young passengers suffered various personal injuries. The local sheriff reported 45 people were aboard the bus. Thirty-five people (mostly teens) were treated at local hospitals, with injuries ranging from minor to severe.

It’s unclear at this juncture what caused the bus to careen off the road. However, it’s no secret that charter buses have a long history of safety problems. Although bus accidents overall comprise a relatively small number of overall motor vehicle collisions, they are not (by some measures) safer than cars. One study published by the Journal of Safety Research revealed that while only about 0.6 percent of the total number of auto accidents in the U.S. involve a bus, the number of bus accidents per 1 million passenger miles is 3.04, compared to the car accident rate of 3.21.

Drivers who are novice, inexperienced or older than 65 have the highest rates of bus crashes – especially when they work for companies that have a history of safety lapses (i.e., failure to properly train and supervise drivers, pushing drivers to work beyond federal hours of service limits and not properly maintaining their buses).

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According to a recent news report from NECN, an elderly woman allegedly crashed her car into a health club in the greater Boston area.   Authorities are saying the 82-year-old woman was trying to park in a handicapped parking space at the gym when she allegedly stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal. The wall to health club was an exterior wall, but luckily it was a load-bearing wall and car was able to drive through it without the driver being seriously injured. There was also a male passenger in the vehicle that crashed into the Boston Sports Club gym.

Witnesses say the car entered the building at a relatively slow speed and kept rolling through a physical therapy office located inside the fitness center. A manager at the gym was in her office next to where the car had entered the building and could not believe what she was seeing.   Paramedics responded to the scene of the accident, as did the police. First responders determined that the driver was not seriously injured but was understandably shaken up as a result of what happened. The male passenger meanwhile decided the best thing for him to do was go into the gym for his workout, since that was the reason they came to the fitness center that day.   After they determined the passenger was not injured, they said it was okay for him to go into the gym, as did gym management. Continue reading

Authorities stopped 149 vans and station wagons during a recent crackdown on 7-D pupil transport vehicles, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation reported.

While our Boston personal injury attorneys have highlighted the risks associated with Massachusetts school bus accidents, traffic accidents involving vans or other vehicles used by daycare centers, churches and other organizations get less attention.

However, they can be even more dangerous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently issued a warning regarding the use of 15-passenger vans after two horrific crashes in New York and Georgia involving church vehicles. While schools are forbidden from purchasing the vans to transport students, numerous smaller organizations rely upon them for transport.

The government is particularly concerned about the use of older tires on such vehicles, which can lead to blowouts and rollover accidents. The upcoming winter driving season also increases the risk of an accident caused by poor tires.

During the recent investigation, dubbed “Operation Guardian Angel,” authorities set up nine safety checkpoints in Boston and issued 123 violation, including $5,350 in fines. Infractions included driving without the required 7-D license, vehicle equipment defects, including bald tires, overloading passengers and failure to not properly secure children in car seats or seat belts.

“The RMV has many responsibilities, but none more important than keeping this most vulnerable population safe,” said Registrar Rachel Kaprielian. “We need to assure parents that their children are riding in safe vehicles with properly trained drivers. But parents can help by being vigilant and asking tough questions.”

Drivers of 7-D vehicles must undergo criminal background checks and apply for special licenses. Vehicles, including cargo vans and station wagons, must undergo inspection twice a year.

7-D drivers are also subject to a fine of up to $500 for using a mobile telephone while driving with passengers, thanks to the state’s new distracted driving law, which took effect. Sept. 30.

The government provides the following safety tips for vans and passenger vehicles used in transport:

-Make sure the vehicle is properly maintained.

-Drivers must be properly trained and licensed.

-Overloading should be avoided. Even loading can reduce the risk of a rollover accident.

-Tires should be properly inflated and in good repair.

-Drivers should check tires for proper inflation, and for signs of wear, before each trip.

-Passengers should wear their seat belts.
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Authorities will be out in force looking for drunk drivers and other unsafe drivers in an effort to reduce the number of serious and fatal Massachusetts car accidents over the Fourth of July weekend.

Businessweek reports that AAA is anticipating a banner weekend of travel in New England. More than 1.7 million people are expected to be traveling in the six-state region through the Fourth of July weekend, an increase of more than 19 percent when compared to last year.

While New Year’s Eve gets the majority of attention when it comes to holiday travel risks and drunk driving accidents, statistics show that Thanksgiving and Fourth of July have been the deadliest holidays on the nation’s roads in recent years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Nationwide, someone is killed in a drunk driving accident every 45 minutes. Alcohol-related Massachusetts car accidents accounted for more than 40 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2008, when 151 of the state’s 363 road deaths involved alcohol.

U.S. Holiday Traffic Fatalities in 2008:

New Year’s Day: 104
Memorial Day: 370
Fourth of July: 437
Labor Day: 423
Thanksgiving: 439
Christmas: 364
New Year’s Eve: 37

Fatal Holiday Massachusetts Traffic Accidents in 2008:

New Year’s Day: 0
Memorial Day: 5
Fourth of July: 5
Labor Day: 5
Thanksgiving: 5
Christmas: 1
New Year’s Eve: 0 Continue reading

A 60-year-old woman was seriously injured in a Massachusetts pedestrian accident on Monday, while crossing Route 9 with her dog, the Boston Globe reported.

Police found the woman lying in the median strip on Route 16 when they arrived about 3:30 p.m. Authorities believe she was struck by a Jeep traveling west on Route 9. The woman was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with a head injury. The driver of the Jeep was unhurt; the dog was taken to an animal hospital with minor injuries.

Cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Also on Monday, a Sharon pedestrian accident claimed the life of a man on Route 1. The man was struck and killed by a pickup truck, according to ABC 5.

Massachusetts State Police responded to the scene at about 8:45 a.m. after the 1998 Chevy truck, driven by a 51-year-old Dedham man, struck and killed the pedestrian.

Witnesses said the man walked into the path of the truck; cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Spring and summer is a dangerous time for Massachusetts pedestrian accidents. Statewide, 75 people were killed and 363 seriously injured as a result of pedestrian accidents in 2008, accounting for 20 percent of all Massachusetts traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic safety Administration.
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April 23, 2010 (NewYorkInjuryNews.com – Injury News, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury Accidents)

A crash between a car and MBTA bus resulted in 3 people injured.

Boston MA – A car traveling down Commonwealth Avenue hit a pole and subsequently crashed into the rear of a MBTA van, Wednesday April 21, 2010, injuring three people, as reported by WHDH-TV.

By Nick Curcuru

The Gloucester woman who was trapped underneath her SUV for 90 minutes after a rollover crash on the southbound Exit 13 on-ramp of Route 128 Friday remains hospitalized.

According to officials at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Catherine Swauger, 66, is now listed in fair condition at the Boston Hospital as of last night.