Articles Posted in Car Accidents

On Sunday morning, a hit-and-run accident injured a 32-year-old Massachusetts state trooper while he was protecting a fellow officer no Route 128 south. The car accident occurred in Peabody around 2am. The trooper was taken to Union Hospita in Lyn, where he was treated for a leg injury.

The driver fled the scene of the motor vehicle accident and faces charges including leaving the scene of an accident causing bodily injury, negligent driving, and failing to obey the move-over law.

A separate incident killed a 52-year-old sergeant on a construction detail on Interstate 95 in Attleboro. Since troopers are frequently killed or injured on Massachusetts roads and highways, authorities urge drivers to follow the move-over law and to report any damaged gray or silver sedans that may have been involved with Sunday’s hit-and-run.

Source: Trooper struck on highway, Boston Herald, July 5, 2010 Continue reading

In Northampton, several recent car accidents have involved bears crossing the street. On April 30, a bear cub was badly injured by a vehicle on Florence Road, and environmental police had to put the cub down.

Two other auto accidents occurred this week. One accident occurred on Monday afternoon, when a green mini-van hit a small bear. The second motor vehicle accident occurred Tuesday evening when a cub crossed the path of a vehicle traveling west. In both cases, the drivers were not injured, though the second driver’s vehicle suffered over $1,000 in front-end damage.

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research unit at the University of Massachusetts said there are roughly 3,000 bears statewide, and cubs are especially at risk for injury because of their inexperience. He adds that the best way to avoid a car crash involving a bear is to drive more slowly, especially on winding road.

Source: Collisions grow as bears adapt, MassLive.com, July 1, 2010 Continue reading

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted almost unanimously to approve a transportation bill that would ban texting while driving for all Bay State drivers and impose stricter licensing requirements on older drivers. If the bill passes, the state would join 28 others and the District of Columbia that have already banned texting while driving.

This legislation comes on the heels of several Massachusetts motor vehicle accidents involving older drivers. The proposed bill would mandate that drivers 75 and older apply in person at the Registry of Motor Vehicles and pass a vision test every five years. It would also prohibit motorists under 18 from using cell phones in any short or form while driving.

Next stop for this traffic bill is the Senate.

Source: Massachusetts House passes bill to ban all drivers from texting while driving, MassLive.com, June 23, 2010 Continue reading

Earlier this week, a Massachusetts man called state police a few hours after being involved in a serious car accident, saying he thought he was somewhere in Massachusetts. Police tracked his call to Manchester, New Hampshire and discovered his car 70 feet from the road.

When emergency response crews arrived at the scene of the auto accident, they found the car accident victim alert, but they air-lifted him to Boston Medical Center so he could be checked for internal injuries.

They have not determined the cause of the motor vehicle accident, but they are still investigating. Speed and alcohol may have been contributing factors.

Source: Massachusetts Man Crashes In Woods In Manchester, WMUR.com, June 21, 2010 Continue reading

Last week, a head-on collision on Route 23 between a Toyota and a tractor-trailer sent a Lenox, Massachusetts women to the hospital. Police said the 2008 Toyota was traveling east on Route 23 when the vehicle crossed the median and hit a westbound tractor-trailer.

Both vehicles were totaled, but the tractor-trailer driver was not injured. He was cited for falsifying his driving log. The injured Toyota driver was taken to Berkshire Medical Center.

The motor vehicle accident caused authorities to close part of Route 23 for nine hours. Police are still investigating the accident. As of last week, they had not interviewed the Toyota driver due to her hospitalization.

Source: Woman stable after accident, Berkshire Eagle, June 11, 2010 Continue reading

On Tuesday morning, a two-vehicle accident on Route 140 killed one person and injured two others. Police have not released the name of the deceased person pending notification of the car accident victim‘s family. He or she was riding in a 1995 Ford Escort driven by a Shrewsbury, Massachusetts woman. The passenger was pronounced dead after being transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

The Escort’s driver and the driver of a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer both sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the collision. According to a police press release, they were also transported by ambulance to UMass Memorial.

Traffic at the intersection was temporarily rerouted following the motor vehicle accident.

Source: 1 killed, 2 injured in Route 140 accident, Telegram.com, June 9, 2010 Continue reading

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Bay State ranks 47th in the country for seat belt use. Currently, Massachusetts motorists and passengers are supposed to wear seat belts, but failure to do so is considered a secondary offense. In other words, police officers cannot pull over a driver for failure to wear a seat belt. They must pull over motorists for primary offenses like speeding or running a red light.

Some argue that changing the seat belt laws in Massachusetts could lead to racial profiling by police officers, but others say it’s a necessary safety measure. According to one Falmouth, requiring Massachusetts drivers and passengers to buckle their seat belts could save eighteen lives and prevent 600 serious injuries per year.

According to recent statistics, those are who are involved in a car accident and are not wearing a seat belt have an 83% percent chance of death. That number drops to just 34% when the person is wearing a seat belt. The Commonwealth is also entitled to an additional $13.6 million in federal funding if it tightens its seat belt law.

Source: Seat belt law change could be difference between life and death, MetroWest Daily News, May 30, 2010 Continue reading

On Friday afternoon, an 87-year-old man from Brockon, Massachusetts died in a single vehicle crash on Route 95. It is believed that the driver had some sort of medical emergency while behind the wheel, but the state medical examiner’s office has yet to determine the cause of death.

Witnesses say the man was driving north in a 2000 Toyota Avalon when he drifted from lane to lane. He then veered off the road and onto the grass median, turning over times before landing in the Route 95 high-speed lane and ejecting the man. The car crash occurred around 6pm on Friday. Emergency rescue personnel from the Hope Valley Fire Department declared the man dead at the scene at 6:10pm.

According to police, a 1999 BMW managed to stop before hitting the overturned vehicle. One passenger in the car, a 77-year-old from Brockton, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Rhode Island Hospital.

Source: Massachusetts man, 87, dies in crash on Route 95 in Exeter, Providence Journal, June 6, 2010 Continue reading

Police in Lynn have charged a 19-year-old with violating the “social host law,” which prohibits the sale, delivery, or furnishing of alcoholic beverages to minors. According to the law, “furnishing” can include allowing those under 21 to possess alcoholic beverages on premises or property owned or controlled by the defendant. Violations are punishable with up to a $2,000 fine and/or imprisonment for up to one year.

The fatal auto accident occurred in March, when several teens drank alcohol at a party thrown by the 19-year-old Lynn man and were later involved in a motor vehicle accident.

A 19-year-old woman was ejected through the sunroof and died after her boyfriend crashed his Toyota 4Runner. Two passengers also suffered minor injuries in the car crash. The driver involved in the motor vehicle accident has been charged with motor vehicle homicide, failure to stop at a stop sign, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

Source: Lynn teen charged in fatal accident, The Daily Item, June 2, 2010 Continue reading

On Sunday, a motor vehicle accident on Route 18 in New Bedford involving three vehicles sent several people to Boston and Providence hospitals with serious injuries. Four of the auto accident victims, including two 2-year-old boys, were taken to hospitals by medical helicopter.

Police reports indicate that the car crash occurred near the Purchase Street ramp. A 1993 Honda Civic and a 1994 Honda Accord were reportedly racing on Route 18 when the Civic hit a 1999 Volkswagen Jetta. The Civic’s driver lost control of the vehicle, hitting the Accord. One of the Civic’s passengers was ejected from the car. She was not wearing a seat belt.

The Civic’s driver was taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital. State police would only identify the victim as a 17-year-old woman. The Accord’s driver was also taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital. He was identified as an 18-year-old New Bedford man. State police said two of the Accord’s passengers were flown to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries. A total of seven injuries were reported.

Those operating the Accord and the Civic have been cited for speeding, marked lanes violations, and racing. The multiple vehicle collision remains under investigation.

Source: Route 18 racing crash injures 7, including 2 children, South Coast Today, May 31, 2010 Continue reading