Boston Injury Lawyer Blog

May 20, 2013

3 Serious Dog Attacks in Bridgewater, MA, But No Help from Animal Control

The town of Bridgewater, MA is facing a serious issue following the resignation of the town’s animal control officer and three serious dog attacks since mid-February.

Police say they are without backup when it comes to animal-related emergency calls since Eric Badger, Bridgewater’s Health Agent and part-time animal control officer, resigned from his positions back in February of this year.

“Right now, there’s nowhere to turn,” Police Lieutenant Tom Schlatz said. Without an Animal Control officer in town, “there’s a certain follow-up that’s not being done.”

According to the town’s officials, Bridgewater police has responded to three separate dog attacks over the last six weeks.

On April 9, a woman was attacked while walking her own dog when a 4-year old boxer, lunged at the woman’s dog. The boxer bit the woman in the leg, leaving puncture wounds on her calf. One week after that incident, on April 16, an 11-year old was bitten by a dog at a residence and taken to the hospital for injuries on her arms and wrists. On May 12, a Shaw Road resident called police after his 6-year old daughter was bitten by an American bull dog while playing with her friends.

In all three cases, police stated that they left messages with Badger, who later said he would not respond to the messages because he had already resigned from his post as animal control officer. Badger said that the animal control officer would step in in these incidents only if the dogs had not been vaccinated. All three of the dogs in these cases had been vaccinated, and will remain in their homes.

Badger, who received only a $100 stipend each week for responding to animal-related calls on an on-call basis, said he didn’t have a real budget to work with. He stated that he did not even have a crate to keep animals quarantined and in one instance, had to call upon the help of a neighboring town’s animal control unit for assistance.
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May 15, 2013

Supreme Judicial Court Orders new Massachusetts Premises Liability Trial in Framingham Injury Lawsuit by Man Paralyzed with SCI from Trampoline Jump Into Wading Pool

by Altman & Altman

Massachusett’s highest court is mandating that there be a new trial in the Framingham premises liability lawsuit filed by Cleber Dos Santos against two property owners. Dos Santos became paralyzed from the chest down after he flipped off a trampoline into an inflatable wading pool in 2005. The defendants, Jose Coleta and Maria Coleta, are his in-laws.

At the time, the plaintiff was a 29-year-old construction worker. He contends that Jose placed the trampoline next to the pool. After accumulating hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses, Dos Santos, his wife, and son (the latter two witnessed the incident) would go on to sue the Coletas for Framingham, MA personal injury.

In 2008, a Middlesex Superior Court jury ruled for the defendants. Dos Santos then appealed, but the Appeals Court upheld the jury’s decision, which took into consideration that landowners are not responsible for making warnings in circumstances where the peril is obvious to anyone with reasonable perception and average intelligence.

May 8, 2013

Measure Would Give Victims of Massachusetts Sex Abuse Lawsuits Until Age 55 to Sue for Personal Injury

by Altman & Altman

A measure is being proposed that would raise the statute of limitations for victims of Massachusetts child sex abuse so that they would have until age 55 to sue for personal injury damages. Currently, most victims in the state have only until they turn 21 to file a civil case-save for an exception to the law that lets older people sue an alleged abuser if the sex abuse lawsuit is submitted within three years of when the victim first discovered that he/she was molested.

While some are questioning whether allowing for a child sex abuse case after so much time has passed could weigh unfairly against those accused-by this point memories might be vaguer and there may not be as many witnesses-other believe that giving victims more time to sue is in their best interests. If you were the victim of Massachusetts sexual abuse, please contact our Boston sexual assault law firm to request your free case assessment.

Child Sex Abuse

May 6, 2013

MA Man Dies after Boat Crash on the Taunton River

by Altman & Altman

A Taunton man was killed yesterday after a boating accident on the Taunton River, and the boat’s operator has been charged with homicide by vessel while operating under the influence.

The crash occurred around 6 p.m. when the boat’s operator Anthony Rose, 46, crashed the boat into a tree in the water, killing his cousin Manuel Pinhero, 47. Investigators say Rose had been under the influence of alcohol and was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the accident.

Police received emergency calls around 5:45 p.m. from other boaters who witnessed the accident. After the accident, Rose allegedly drove the boat ashore near east Water Street in Taunton, where he and other passengers were met by Massachusetts Environmental Police. After failing field sobriety tests, Rose was placed under arrest and was charged with OUI homicide by vessel and negligent operation of a boat. He was arraigned in court this morning and held on $10,000 bail. The crash is still under investigation.

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Just as with driving a car, operating a boat comes with high responsibility. Some of the main reasons people get into boating accidents include careless operation, inattention, inexperience, passenger behavior, speeding, and substance use. There are many different types of boat accidents, including boats colliding with other boats, boats flooding, passengers falling overboard, water sports mishaps, and as was the case yesterday boats colliding with fixed objects.
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April 30, 2013

Newton, Massachusetts Bus Accidents Sends 34 Kids With Minor Injuries to Hospitals

by Altman & Altman

According to State Police, at least 34 Massachusetts middle school kids who sustained minor injuries in a Newton bus accident were sent to local hospitals today. Neck pain, head pain, and back pain, were among the complaints raised by some of the children, while others suffered bumps and bruises.

The bus collision was a three-vehicle accident that occurred early in the morning. Even though the incident is still under investigation, police say it appears that the bus rear-ended another auto that was stopped at a traffic light, propelling that motor vehicle into another stopped vehicle.

Rear-End Crashes A rear-end accident can result in injuries for everyone involved. Often, it is those in the car that is rear ended who will experience the brunt of impact and potentially suffer from soft tissue injuries, whiplash, disc damage, carpal tunnel injuries, knee injuries, ankle injuries, traumatic brain injury, head injury, and burns. That said, those in the vehicle that that did the rear-ending are not immune from getting hurt-especially if the auto was moving at a fast speed and was forced to abruptly stop by slamming into the car in front of it.

April 30, 2013

Owner Cited in Aftermath of Fatal Allston, MA Fire

by Altman & Altman

The property owner of a two-and-a-half story Allston apartment has been cited after a deadly fire this weekend.

Anna Belokurova, the owner of the residence at 87 Linden Street, was cited for illegal occupancy in the basement and overcrowding of the house. According to officials, 18 people had been living in the home at the time of the fire. The house had also not been inspected since 1992.

The fire, which is still under investigation, broke out around 6:30 on Sunday morning, and claimed the life of Boston University student, Binland Lee.

Three residents were rescued by firefighters using ladders, while one resident jumped from an upper story to escape the fire Deputy Chief Stephen Dunbar said. According Dunbar, firefighters had tried to reach Lee who was in the attic at the time, but were unable to reach her.

Six firefighters and nine of the building’s occupants sustained non-life threatening injuries during the fire.
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April 29, 2013

Boston Playground Accidents Can Cause Serious Massachusetts Child Injuries

by Altman & Altman

Every year, over 200,000 kids are injured in playground accidents in the United States. Sometimes, the injuries are a result of what can sometimes happen when children are busy running around and playing with each other. In other instances, a Boston playground accident could have been avoided were it not for the negligence of others.

Common causes of Massachusetts playground accidents that might be grounds for a Boston injury lawsuit:

Inadequate supervision: adults should properly supervise Kids in playgrounds. When failure to supervise, such as at a school or an event at the playground, allows for injuries to happen, the person or entity tasked with providing the supervision can be held liable. Inadequate supervision also can up the risk of child abductions and sex abuse happening.

April 27, 2013

With Older Adults More Prone to Massachusetts Fall Accidents, Boston Nursing Homes Should Exercise the Needed Care to Protect Patients

by Altman & Altman

According to the CDC, every year, out of every three adults in the 65 and older age group, one of them will be involved in a fall accident-and less than 50% of those that fell will tell their healthcare provider. Considering that fall accidents are the leading cause of injury deaths among seniors who belong to the 65 and older age group, these figures are very disturbing.

At Altman & Altman, LLP, our Boston nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers represent families whose loved ones suffered serious injuries, health complications, or died in a Massachusetts fall accident at a long-term care facility. Nursing home providers know that fall accidents are common for the major demographic that they treat and it is their job to exercise the necessary preventive measures so that residents don’t become a fall accident danger to themselves, such as:

• Removing any spilt liquids, fluids, or foods from the floor • Installing handrails in hallways and in shower stalls • Providing nursing assistance to patients that cannot walk or move properly without help • Installing bed rails • Following proper procedures when using a lift to raise, lower, or transfer a patient from a bed to another bed, wheelchair, gurney, or surgical table • Properly training and educating staff about Massachusetts nursing home falls.

April 26, 2013

Boston Slip and Fall Cases Give Victims A Chance at Financial Recovery

by Altman & Altman

A Massachusetts slip accident on a banana peel, a wet floor, or an icy patch on the sidewalk that causes a fall accident might not seem like a big deal in theory, but, in truth, it can cause serious injuries to the person involved. Back injuries, broken hips, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and even death all have been known to happen in Boston slip and fall accidents, and unless you get legal help, you may find yourself in a deep financial hole with seeming no way out even as you cope with all the other painful ramifications of being involved in this type of incident.

At Altman & Altman, LLP, our Boston premises liability lawyers have more than half a century’s experience assisting Massachusetts slip and fall accident victims get the financial compensation that they are owed. We also have Masachusetts workers’ compensation attorneys that can help employees make sure that they receive all the work injury benefits they are entitled to for their slip/step/stump/trip and fall accident that occurred on the job.

Slip and fall claims are usually based on incidents that occurred on someone else’s property. The premise may be a private one, like someone’s home, a public one, such as a city park or a sidewalk, or a property that is owned by and entity and frequented by members of the public, such as a stadium, a shopping mall, or a supermarket.

April 25, 2013

Drugged Driving and Boston Car Accidents

by Altman & Altman

Per a 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 10.5 million people in the 12 and over age group admitted to driving under the influence of illegal drugs in the year before they were surveyed. The age group that had the highest percentage of drivers that drove while on drugs was the 21 to 25 young adult demographic.

At Altman & Altman, LLP, our Boston car accident lawyers represent victims that have suffered serious injuries or lost loved ones in Massachusetts drugged driving accidents. Contact us today.

A drug doesn’t have to be illegal for it to impair one’s driving abilities, potentially causing a serious traffic crash. Even some over-the-counter medications may impair one’s vision, hearing, judgment, and abilities to react, act, respond, and process. Mix drugs with alcohol and the combination can be lethal for everyone involved.