Articles Posted in Car Accidents

by

The Boston widower and children of a woman that died in July 2006 when 26 tons of concrete fell from the Big Dig tunnel ceiling onto the car she was riding, will receive over $28 million for her wrongful death. The settlement resolves the family’s claim against all the defendants, including the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, Modern Continental Co., Gannett Fleming Inc., Bechtel/Parsons Brinkerhoff, Newman Associates, and Powers Fasteners. The family is represented by Denner & Pellegrino, LLP.

39-year-old Milena Del Valle was crushed by the weight of the concrete slabs that fell onto the motor vehicle she was in. Her husband Angel, who was driving the car at the time of the accident, sustained minor injuries in the tunnel ceiling collapse.

A report released by the National Transportation Board last year found that a different kind of epoxy should have been used in the tunnel’s construction. The report placed blame for the deadly collapse on designer Gannett Fleming, construction contractor Modern Continental, Big Dig project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinkerhoff, and Powers Fastener, which provided the epoxy.

Continue reading

by

A Massachusetts three-car collision close to the Mendon town line this weekend left two Milford men with serious injuries, while four others were also treated for minor injuries at a local hospital. The auto crash happened on Saturday afternoon on Hartford Avenue when a Ford pickup truck hydroplaned, colliding with two cars.

Preliminary details indicate that the pickup truck driver turned sideways and drove into the path of the other two vehicles after hydroplaning. The pickup truck driver, 32-year-old Milford resident Nelson Pacheco, and his passenger, Kenneth Doyle sustained serious injuries from the crash.

The two passengers of the Toyota Sequoia that struck Pacheco’s pickup suffered minor injuries, as did the two people riding the black Hyundai that was also involved in the multi-vehicle collision. All of the victims were treated at Milford Regional Medical Center.

Bellingham say that weather was a factor in causing the auto injury accident and an investigation is ongoing. The Central Massachusetts Accident Reconstruction Team is also looking into the cause of the crash.

Insurance.com Offers a Number of Tips for Driving in Wet Weather, Including:

• Don’t drive too fast.
• Do NOT slam on the brakes if your car skids.
• Make sure there is a safe amount of distance between you and other cars.
• Make sure that you pay extra attention when driving.
• Make sure your tires are in good condition.

Negligent driving even when weather conditions are bad can be grounds for a Boston personal injury claim or lawsuit if anyone is injured as a result.

Two Milford Men Injured in Crash, The Milford Daily News, September 28, 2008
Wet-Weather Driving Tips, Insurance.com

Related Web Resource:

Safe Family: Driving in wet weather, KXII.com, August 19, 2008 Continue reading

by

General Motors has announced the recall of 944,000 motor vehicles due to concerns that a fire could break out in the vehicles’ heated windshield washer fluid system. 850,000 of the vehicles recalled are in the US. According to GM, If the circuit board that controls the system experiences a short circuit, a grounding wire could overheat. This could lead to other electrical components malfunctioning and in rare instances, a fire could break out.

The auto manufacturing giant says that it knows of at least three incidents in which fires broke out in GM motor vehicles because of this problem. Two vehicles belonged to GM’s fleet of test automobiles. No injuries have been reported. The Chicago Tribune, however, is reporting nine fires stemming from the auto parts defect. As part of the recall, GM dealers will install a device that will allow the system to shut down if a short circuit happens.

Car Fires
Car fires can cause serious injury to drivers, passengers, and others. They can result in toxic or deadly gases, such as carbon monoxide, being emitted from a vehicle.
Car fires can generate heat as hot as 1500 degrees Farenheit, with flames from that potentially extending as far out as 10 feet and beyond. A motor vehicle fire can lead to a deadly explosion, especially when fed by the gas in an automobile’s tank.

According to the US Fire Administration, in 2006:

• There were 278,000 auto fires.
• 490 people died in these fires.
• 1,200 others were injured.

GM recalls 850,000 vehicles over fire risk, ChicagoTribune.com, August 30, 2008
Electric fault spurs big GM recall, Reuters, August 29, 2008
Car Fires: What You Need to Know to Be Safe, Kids Safety Klub
Related Web Resources:

Electric fault spurs big GM recall, Reuters.com, August 29, 2008
The Recalls Summary (Includes the list of GM Vehicles that are part of the recall), NHTSA
General Motors

US Fire Administration
Continue reading

by

Officials in Massachusetts came together on Wednesday to warn motorists of the dangers of operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The warning comes two days before the start of the three-day Labor Day holiday and is part of the state’s “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest” efforts, which runs from August 13 until September 3, 2008.

According to Massachusetts State Police Superintendent Col. Mark. F. Delaney, “We want people to enjoy themselves, but we want them… — if they are driving — absolutely sober.” During this latest initiative, Massachusetts state and local police will conduct more patrols to apprehend anyone driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and prevent more traffic injuries and deaths from happening.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that there were 174 drunk driving-related deaths in Massachusetts in 2006. Meantime, the number of people arrested over the last few years for OUI in the state has increased from 3,860 in 2006 to 4,879 in 2007. Nationally, in 2007, there were 12,998 alcohol-related deaths.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s Massachusetts chapter Communications Director David DeIuliis, out of every three people, one person knows someone that was hurt or died in an auto accident caused by a drunk driver.

In addition to efforts by state and local agencies to stop drunk driving, Massachusetts State Police are suggesting that people:

• Drive sober.
• Drive no faster than the designated speed limits.
• Refuse to get in the car with a drunk driver.
• Call 911 if they see anyone driving drunk.
• Wear safety belts.

Drunk driving accidents are often catastrophic accidents, and the ones that suffer the most are the victims and their loved ones. You and your family may be entitled to personal injury compensation.

Police Step Up Highway Patrols For Holiday, WCVB.com, August 27, 2008
Drunk driving initiative under way, WickedLocal.com, August 20, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest, Mass.gov
Impaired Driving, CDC.gov Continue reading

by

This month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its 2007 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities and People Injured data. Statistics for last year indicate a 3.9% percent decrease in traffic accident fatalities between 2006 and 2007.

Overall traffic accident deaths for 2007 was 41,059, down from 42,708 in 2006, with injuries also decreasing from 2,575,000 in 2006 to 2,491,000 in 2007.

Other 2007 US Traffic Facts:

Passenger vehicle deaths: 28,933 Injuries: 2,221,000
Motorcycle deaths: 5,154 Injuries: 103,000
Pedestrian Deaths: 4,654 Injuries: 70,000
Bicyclist Deaths: 698 Injuries: 43,000
Large Truck Occupant Deaths: 802
The NHTSA also provided 2007 traffic accident statistics for the state of Massachusetts: 417 deaths.

According to US Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, the decline in total motor vehicle deaths can be attributed to more aggressive law enforcement measures at both the state and federal levels, as well as the manufacturing of safer motor vehicles.

Read the Summary of the 2007 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities and People Injured (PDF)

Related Web Resources:

Massachusetts Highway Department

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Continue reading

by

An Andover resident and his family are suing the town for personal injuries he suffered when he was hit by a police car. Christopher “Gerry” Lohan was shoveling snow in his driveway last December when the accident happened. Officer Daniel Devine was driving the police cruiser.

Lohan, 39, suffered a fractured leg. He continues to have problems climbing and descending stairs and walking long distance and his still taking pain medication. A titanium road and screws were inserted in his leg. Lohan’s lawyer says his medical costs are up to $120,000.

Lohan and his family are seeking $400,000 in damages. Under Massachusetts law, a municipality can pay no more than $100,000 max per injury claim against it. The family has filed four separate claims. One claim for injuries and three claims for loss of comfort, care, consortium, and services on behalf of Lohan’s wife and their two sons.

Continue reading

by

In Chelmsford, Massachusetts, a multi-vehicle crash involving a tractor-trailer, a car, and a pickup truck on Interstate 495 today left one person dead. The traffic accident occurred when a Dodge Intrepid hit a Kenworth tractor-trailer.

The tractor-trailer driver then lost control of his truck, which crossed the median before hitting a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck in a head-on collision. The driver of the pickup truck, Charles Butzer, died in the crash. Jody Anderson, the tractor-trailer driver, was treated for minor injuries at Lowell General Hospital.

Police are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the crash. They say that thunderstorms may have contributed in causing the fatal auto collision.

With Massachusetts traffic accidents involving multiple parties, it is important to work with a Boston motor vehicle crash lawyer that has the resources and connections to work with experienced accident reconstructionist experts that can examine the vehicles involved and the accident scene to determine what caused the crash. There may be more than one party that can be held liable for injuries or wrongful death.

If someone you love has died because of a negligent driver or another liable party, Massachusetts’s wrongful death law allows you to sue for wrongful death.

1 Dead In Pickup, Tractor-Trailer Crash, WCBV.com, July 24, 2008

Related Web Resource:

Massachusetts Wrongful Death Law
Continue reading

by

In Massachusetts, Michael Faria, the man charged in connection with a fatal hit and run accident in Easton on Saturday may have been text-messaging when the accident occurred.

According to a Bristol County prosecutor, Faria told a friend that he was texting on his cell phone when his car struck John McCarthy. The 58-year-old pedestrian had been walking close to Washington Street when he was struck.

Prosecutor Jessica Lennon says that Faria’s failure to call for help may have been the cause of McCarthy’s death-who may have survived the accident if he had received medical help sooner. Another motorist contacted 911 about 25 minutes after the accident happened.

McCarthy was wearing a reflective vest when the accident happened. Easton police believe that he was on the shoulder of the road when Faria allegedly struck him. While no one witnessed the accident, police found a small fragment from what was the wheel well of a black Infinity SUV.

Easton police publicized the information, and they received an anonymous phone call on Monday that eventually led them to Faria, who turned himself in after several hours of negotiations over the phone.

Faria pleaded not guilty to homicide by motor vehicle, leaving the scene of the accident, and operating to endanger.

Driver negligence and inattention are common causes of catastrophic injury accidents to pedestrians and other motorists. All motorists are required to exercise a reasonable duty of care when behind the wheel. When failure to fulfill this care leads to serious injury or death, a driver can be held liable for personal injury or wrongful death.

Examples of motorist negligence:

• Failure to obey traffic signs or laws • Drunk driving • Speeding • Failure to exercise caution on the road • Text messaging or talking on the cell phone while driving • Reckless driving • Hit and run
• Leaving the accident scene
Prosecutor: Hit-and-run defendant was text-messaging, Boston.com, July 16, 2008
Fatal hit-run puts scrutiny on texting, BostonHerald.com, July 17, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Outlawing Text Messaging While Driving, US News and World Report, February 11, 2008
The Tragedy of Fatal Hit and Run Accidents on America’s Deadly Roads, Deadly Roads.com Continue reading

by

Anne Ferreira, the Raynham, Massachusetts woman who drover her 1996 Toyota Camry sedan the wrong way on the Route 25 freeway on March 11, is being charged with DUI.

She crashed her sedan into a 1997 Buick LeSabre sedan. Both Ferreira and the driver of the sedan, 65-year-old New Bedford resident David McGowan, had to be pried from their motor vehicles. McGowan suffered serious injuries in the car accident and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Massachusetts State Police said that a preliminary investigation found that Ferreira was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Drunk driving is considered reckless or negligent behavior and can lead to a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit if another person is injured in a motor vehicle collision as a result.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that drunk drivers can experience problems in maintaining the proper lane position (including weaving, drifting, swerving, turning with a wide radius, difficulty braking, speeding problems), vigilance problems (including driving into opposing or crossing traffic, signaling that is inconsistent with driving actions) and judgment problems, such as deciding to turn illegally and driving the wrong way down a road.

The consequences of drunk driving on the driver, his or her passengers, people in other cars, and pedestrians can be catastrophic. Of the 442 traffic fatalities that occurred in Massachusetts in 2005, 171 of them were alcohol-related.

Woman in wrong-way charged with DUI, Wickedlocal.com, March 20, 2008
The Visual Detection of DWI motorists, NHTSA

Related Web Resources:

Impaired Driving, CDC
Massachusetts Drunk Driving Statistics, AlcoholAlert.com Continue reading

by

Approximately 87,000 Massachusetts drivers have been in at least two motor vehicle accidents from 2002 through June 2007. 8,400 of these drivers have been in three crashes. Some 1,100 were in four auto collisions. Some 220 people have been in at least five accidents. Yet a number of these drivers continue to return to the roads. There are 4.7 million Massachusetts drivers.

The Boston Globe looked at 750,000 accident records from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. According to the study:

• Males are more frequently involved in motor vehicle accidents than females.
• Drivers 25 years of age and under are involved in 30% of the crashes.
• Fridays, after midnight, and after rush hour are the times when accidents are most likely to occur.

According to state and public safety officials, common causes of motor vehicle accidents in Massachusetts include:

• Negligence • Aggressive driving
• Driver inexperience • Bad road designs • Bad weather
In one recent deadly hit and run accident, the driver, Craig P. Bigos had at least six tickets and two motor vehicle crashes on his driving record. He was also driving with an expired license. Bigos allegedly hit a 13-year-old pedestrian while text messaging. He faces a motor vehicle homicide charge.

In 2004, a repeat offender heading to a methadone clinic struck a 55-year-old man in Kingston. In 2005, a 76-year-old Upton farmer, who has been in five accidents in six years, drove his tractor into a truck driven be an off-duty cop.

Accidents waiting to happen, Boston.com, February 10, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles

2004-2006 Massachusetts Crash Statistics
Continue reading

Contact Information
Cambridge, MA
Main Office
675 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: 617.492.3000Fax: 617.491.3299Toll Free: 800.481.6199
Boston, MA
1 State St
Suite 2
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617.547.1205Toll Free: 800.481.6199
Needham, MA
250 First Avenue 2nd Floor
Needham, MA 02494
Phone: 781.675.2329Toll Free: 800.481.6199

Some Select Cases are referred to other attorneys for principal responsibility

By publishing this information on this Website, the Boston, Massachusetts law firm of Altman & Altman LLP is not claiming to represent any clients or cases mentioned here. The content provided is designed to inform readers and is not intended as legal advice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2025, Altman & Altman LLP
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design