Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog
According to a recent news report from CBS Local Boston, the owner of a Land Rover SUV witnessed a group of teens allegedly steal her vehicle and speed off on a joy ride. The vehicle owner quickly dialed 911 and waited as the police arrived on the scene.
Shortly after teens allegedly stole the Land Rover, Boston police officers arrived on the scene and located the stolen vehicle just around the corner. When officers chased the stolen SUV, the teens allegedly sped away and managed to flip the vehicle. While witnesses described the event as a brief car chase, the Boston Police Department (BPD) said they did not actually chase the vehicle but did pursue the suspects.
The reason the police likely did not want to call it a car chase is because, unlike on television, departments across the country have standing policies in place that they do not engage in high speed car chases due to the likelihood that a civilian will be injured in the process.
When the suspects sped around the corner and flipped over, the suspects became trapped underneath the vehicle. As the vehicle was flipping over, it crashed into a van that was pushed into another vehicle. The van suffered rear end damage, and the other vehicle was damaged, as well, but it was the Land Rover that sustained the bulk of the damage in this Roxbury car crash.
When first responders arrived at the scene of the accident, they were unable to get the teens out of the car. They tried to flip it back over, but had to be very careful, as it was actually crushing at least one of the teen suspects. They eventually had to get the fire department to cut the roof and much of one side of the Land Rover off to extract the teens from the heavily damaged car.
While the police are not releasing many details, likely because minors were involved, they have said that five people were injured and three of them were teens. Witnesses estimate those teens to be around 14 years old. One of those teens is said to have suffered life-threatening injuries, and BPD officers are guarding his room.
One thing to keep in mind if you are in an accident involving either a stolen car, or one that is being driven by someone who does not have a license, is that there is a decent possibility that the driver is also uninsured. If the driver of the vehicle that is allegedly at fault does not have insurance, this does not mean you do not have a means to collect damages in every case. If you own a car, even if that car was sitting in its parking spot at home when the accident occurred, you may have a valid claim under what is known as an uninsured or underinsured motorist policy (UM/UIM).
Even if you have never heard of UM or UIM coverage, the law in Massachusetts requires that all drivers purchase this type of insurance, unless they specifically disclaim the purchase, which does not happen often.
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:
Teens Injured In Roxbury Crash Involving Stolen Land Rover, September 15, 2016, By Bill Shields, CBS Boston Local
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Boy Survives Internal Decapitation in Car Accident, June 21, 2016, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog