Boston injury attorney

March 15, 2017

Auto Insurance Complications When Vehicle Use is Both Professional and Personal

Many people drive as part of their daily work routine. Some do so specifically to further the business of their employer. In cases where an at-fault driver was acting in the course and scope of employment, the employer may be found vicariously liable for its employee’s negligence – even if the employer wasn’t in any way directly negligent (i.e., negligent hiring, negligent supervision, failure to properly maintain vehicle, etc.).

However, when someone has permission to use a company-owned vehicle both for work and personal reasons, questions of liability can get complicated.

This was the matter at hand in a recent case weighed by a California appellate court, where the question was whether the at-fault driver’s personal insurer should be liable to pay a $500,000 arbitration award for a crash that happened while the driver was operating a company vehicle, but not in the course and scope of employment. Continue reading

March 8, 2017

Utility Pole Crashes Onto Car Traveling Boston’s Southeast Expressway

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

An investigation was launched last month after a reported “freak accident” in which a utility pole crashed to the ground right in front of a vehicle on Southeast Expressway in Boston. An investigation by MassDOT hasn’t revealed any obvious defect or flaw that could be found by crews that inspected all 120 poles along Interstate 93 the night after the car accident.

Inspection teams conducted a series of quality control tests on numerous poles in nearby neighborhoods as well, examining the condition and metal thickness of the welds, base plates and bolts. They reportedly did not find anything that would signal structural integrity concerns. Still, the pole that fell was among more than 100 slated to be removed by the state department of transportation based solely on their age, as they were nearing the end of their intended lifespan and needed to be replaced with more modern fixtures.

But that replacement apparently didn’t happen fast enough for one motorist, who was driving on the Southeast Expressway around 5 a.m. one recent morning when the utility pole “dropped like a tree.” The driver said he saw the pole falling, but was unable to react fast enough to avoid it. He drove over the pole, resulting in the destruction of the undercarriage of his truck. His tires blew out and the pole was sent flying toward another vehicle, driven by a father of six. That driver, who also survived, explained it was dark and happened very quickly, leaving him no real time to react. Several other vehicles piled up also, though miraculously, no one was seriously injured. Continue reading

April 14, 2016

Boston Accident Lawyers Offer Ways to Be a Better Driver

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Boston is the worst.

That is, if you’re driving. Or on a bicycle. Or walking somewhere.

As Boston car accident attorneys, we could have told you that based on our decades of experience. But we’re not the only ones who know. In 2015, Allstate ranked 200 major U.S. cities for the best and worst drivers in the country. Boston ranked dead last. 200th. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise either that Worcester, MA ranked 199th, Springfield ranked 196th.

So given what we know about the poor driving habits in Boston and beyond, what can we do about it? Continue reading

April 5, 2016

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month in Massachusetts

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports there are 8.4 million registered motorcycles in the U.S., with an increase of about 13,000 in a recent single year.

In Massachusetts, according to MotorcycleRoads.com, there are approximately 159,000 registered motorcycles in the state, which ranks it 21st for motorcycles – even though it ranks only 14th in population.

Simply put: Massachusetts loves motorcycles. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and our Boston motorcycle accident attorneys want to drive home a few points – whether you have been riding for years or just starting. Continue reading