Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

According to a recent article in the Lowell Sun, first responders arrived at scene in response to a dispatch call for a serious car accident in Dracut, Massachusetts. The accident occurred around 4 p.m. on New Boston Road. When firefighters got to the scene of the crash, they found a driver still trapped in his car.

Emergency personnel worked to free the trapped driver from his wrecked vehicle, which they believe skidded sideways into a utility pole. Impact was first made on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Emergency medical technicians and firefighters got driver out of his car, and he was transported by ambulance to Dracut High School, where they had already arranged for a medevac helicopter to meet them in the school’s parking lot. Paramedics secured injured driver in the medevac helicopter and transported him to a Boston level one trauma center.

Police conducted an investigation, which is still underway, and, while the cause of the accident and victim’s current condition are still unknown, they noted the utility pole was completely severed about ten feet off the ground. It was still standing up due to the support wires anchoring it in place.
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Police are trained to be extremely cautious when standing next to a car on the side of an active roadway. They are taught when pulling a driver over on the right shoulder, to park their cruiser behind suspect’s vehicle, but also to the left so as not to be directly behind it. They are trained never to stand in the area between suspect’s vehicle and the police car. This area is the most dangerous place to be standing, and is aptly named the “kill zone” in law enforcement traffic enforcement manuals.

Unfortunately, civilians do not receive this training and are often unaware of the dangers of standing next to a disabled or stopped vehicle on the side of a street or highway can present. According to a recent news article from CBS Boston, a man was killed doing just that.

Authorities say civilians called them to the scene of a three-car crash in Brighton, Massachusetts just outside Boston proper late Friday night. Police soon learned that the tragedy began with a minor fender-bender car crash between a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis and a 1998 Honda Accord. Following this minor traffic accident, the parties pulled their vehicles over to the side of the road and got out to inspect damage and trade insurance information.
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According to a news feature from Rolling Stone, two people died and 23 more were injured in Austin when a car crashed into a music festival. Authorities say the street had been closed for an outdoor concert as part of the music festival and a temporary barricade had been erected.

Alleged at-fault driver drove through the temporary barricade and crashed into a large group of concert attendees. Police say they had set up a nearby sobriety checkpoint in which they were looking for suspected drunk drivers. When defendant saw the sobriety checkpoint, he is alleged to have swerved his car through a gas station, and then fled the scene, driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

At this point, officers activated their emergency equipment and went after suspect. As defendant approached the closed street, one officer standing in front of the barricade had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by defendant’s car. The driver kept going through the temporary barricade and hit multiple people in the crowed street.
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Street racing is a very popular theme for Hollywood movie studios. With the tremendous box office success of the Fast and Furious franchise, it is obvious why that is the case. In the movies, street racing is portrayed as a large underground event with hundreds of spectators and gamblers, loud music, custom cars, and incredible action.

Unfortunately, real life street racing is not so glamorous. It usually involves two young drivers behind the wheel of slightly souped up cars driving at incredibly dangerous speeds in areas with pedestrians and other drivers and often ends with a serious crash. One recent example of this can be seen in a news article from ABC 7 News.

Authorities say a teenage driver crashed his Mercedes into a tree while participating in a street race in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles. Police alleged teen driver lost control of his car and crashed. The car first hit the curb, taking out a large chunk of concrete, and then ran into a tree. After hitting the tree, car caught on fire. While on fire, the car deflected off the tree, skidded across the street on its side and took out a mailbox at a neighboring home. The car then hit a Prius parked in the driveway of the home.
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According to a recent news feature form NBC 7 Boston, a pedestrian was hit by a car and killed in Arlington, Massachusetts. Authorities say the 91-year-old man was walking in a crosswalk on Massachusetts Avenue when a car hit him. This World War II veteran rolled over the hood of a Honda civic after being hit and crashed into the car’s windshield.

The owner of a local diner at the scene of the accident said firefighters were already there, because they were in the process responding to what turned out to be a false alarm at his business.

Upon seeing the seriousness of the Massachusetts car accident, firefighters quickly turned their attention to the victim and attempted to offer medical attention. One witness has a dashboard camera running in his personal vehicle and caught the entire incident on video.
Witnesses also say this was not the first time a pedestrian was hit at this same intersection.

One man interviewed by a local news outlet said he was walking when he was hit by a car in that same place three months ago. That victim does not remember anything after the car hit him until he awoke in a Boston area hospital after what he was told was three days following the accident. He had two metal screws put in his leg, broke his hand, broke his nose, and injured his back in the serious pedestrian car accident. The he said “outside these injuries [he] felt great.”
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According to a recent news article from ABC News, United States House Representative Paul Ryan is facing a $100,000 personal injury lawsuit as a result of his aide allegedly crashing Ryan’s SUV, injuring two people.

This accident occurred a year ago. Authorities say Ryan, current chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and former Republican candidate for Vice President, was not in the car at the time of the accident. However, plaintiffs alleged Ryan’s aide, who was driving the car at the time of the accident, was working within the scope of his employment.

Meanwhile, plaintiff was driving his vehicle and had a passenger with him. Each occupant of plaintiff’s car is suing Ryan for $50,000 under the doctrine of respondeat superior. As our Boston car accident lawyers can explain, respondeat superior is a principle of law that allows plaintiffs to sue not only tortfeasors, but also tortfeasor’s employer, so long as tortfeasor was acting within the scope of his or employer.
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It’s kind of amusing to watch an old science fiction movie on Netflix and see the future is being portrayed in a year that has already passed or is only a few years away. For example, the date Marty McFly arrives in the future in Back to the Future is actually October 21, 2015. So it is safe to assume there will not be any flying cars traveling through Boston later this year. It is also safe to assume there won’t be flying cars for many years to come, if ever.

However, self-driving cars are something car companies and technology firms like Google are actually working on, and some have predicted most people will own a self-driving car by 2030. According to a recent news article from the Wall Street Journal, when self-driving cars become a reality, it could reduce car accidents by as much as 90 percent. This could also mean a savings of up to $190 billion in healthcare costs and property damage and a save thousands from car-accident fatalities each year. The article was based upon a study by a major consulting firm that predicts mass adoption of self-driving cars in around 15 years from now.

Firms leading the move to fully or semi-autonomous cars included Daimler, Google, and the ride-sharing company, Uber. While a fully autonomous car is still years away, current automobiles are more commonly featuring lane guidance, blind spot detection, and backup cameras that are said to be the backbone of this new technology.
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According to a recent news report from Boston.com, a 56-year-old woman was driving her car in Somerville when she suffered what has been characterized as a medical incident. At this point, police allege she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a Honda Civic. The Honda Civil burst into flames after being hit by the woman’s car.

eThe 26-year-old driver of the Civic was treated by first responders and then transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, a level-one trauma center in Boston. A 16-year-old boy who was walking in the area of this chain reaction car crash was hit by one of the cars involved and suffered serious injuries. He was also treated at the scene and transported to Massachusetts General Hospital. While police listed his condition as critical, they believe he will survive the accident.

The driver of the Civic, a 26-year-old from Medford, was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries. The teen was walking in the area of the crash when he was struck by a car, according to police. He and the Somerville woman were also transported to MGH with serious injuries. Police said the teen’s injuries, while serious, are not believed to be life-threatening.
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