54-year-old Jean Heppler was killed while crossing a street in a Dedham traffic crash on Friday night. Heppler was struck by a vehicle driven by a Mount Ida College student. The driver, Nicolas A. Rivas-Vasquez, pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of the catastrophic pedestrian accident.
The 21-year-old’s lawyer said that Rivas-Vasquez did not know that his car had hit Heppler. Instead, the college student thought that his vehicle was struck by an object that the wind had blown in.
Although Rivas-Vasquez stopped the car, he claims that didn’t see anything in the mirror. Because of the road he was on, he had to drive another few blocks before he could legally turn back. Even then, Rivas-Vasquez contends he only saw debris. He later turned himself into the authorities.
According to police reports, Heppler’s body ended up between the sidewalk and a guardrail after it was struck.
Heppler’s death is not the only Massachusetts pedestrian accident to make the news headlines this month. Last week, 61-year-old Thomas Ryan died in a Brockton pedestrian incident after he too was hit by a car. His is one of several pedestrian fatalities in that city this year.
Also last week, 19-year-old Trequel Bradsher was killed in a Brockton pedestrian accident after being hit by a drunk driver. The vehicle’s operator, 22-year-old Brian Perkins, had a .10 blood-alcohol level, which is beyond the .08 legal limit in Massachusetts.
Our Massachusetts car accident law firm represents victims and their loved ones throughout the state. Please contact one of our Boston pedestrian accident attorneys today. You should know that your civil case would be separate from any criminal proceedings against a motorist. The best way of maximizing your chances for to recovery is to get good legal representation.
The statute of limitations for filing a Massachusetts personal injury claim is three years from the date of the traffic crash. If you wait to submit a civil claim or lawsuit after that period it won’t be allowed. Getting a Boston pedestrian accident lawyer to start investigating your case as soon as possible is also important because that is when witness accounts will still be fresh and vivid in their memories. Physical evidence can be easier to be obtain earlier on.
Massachusetts Pedestrian Accidents in Winter
With the cold weather here, it is important to know that pedestrians are at greater risk of injury in traffic crashes involving winter conditions for a number of reasons: snow can reduce a driver’s visibility, the roads may be icier for both vehicles and the people walking. Because of ice and slush, vehicles are more prone to slide off roads, placing even pedestrians on sidewalks at peril.
You want to work with a Massachusetts pedestrian accident attorney that knows how to prove who or what caused the incident so that you can get the personal injury or wrongful death compensation that you are owed.
Drunk driver kills teen in Brockton, police say, Boston Globe, December 5, 2014
DA charges student, 21, with fatal Dedham hit-run, Boston Herald, December 8, 2014
Police: Teen Pedestrian Killed by Drunk Driver, NECN, December 6, 2014
More Blog Posts:
Honda Recalls Another 2.6 Million Cars with Takata Air Bags in the U.S., Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, December 8, 2014
Today is the Day Lead Singer Injured in Massachusetts 15-Passenger Van Crash, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, November 30, 2014
Cape Cod MA Crane Accident Deaths Were Preventable, Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Blog, September 26, 2014