Articles Posted in Car Accidents

According to statistics from the first quarter of this year, car accidents in Walpole, Massachusetts have decreased by 20 percent compared to first quarter last year. Last year, officers responded to 127 motor vehicle accidents in the first quarter compared to 101 accidents this year.

In fact, police have noted a three-year downward trend with 393 recorded auto accidents in 2008 and 11 fewer in 2009. This comes despite a decrease in manpower in the city’s police department over the last few years. In 2004, the department had 41 officers compared to its current 33 sworn officers.

Walpole’s police chief attributed this trend to efficient policing, improved sight visibility at dangerous spots, and road improvements at several intersections. He said they are planning to hire two experienced officers soon and the town working to straighten out turns on two streets.

Source: Car accidents in Walpole down 20 percent, WickedLocal.com, April 15, 2010 Continue reading

Earlier this week, a Dracut, Massachusetts driver was pulled over for text messaging while in plain sight of a police officer. When officers discovered that the man was also driving with a suspended license, they arrested the 20-year-old motorist.

Text messaging while driving become illegal in New Hampshire on January 1. While a violation would generally lead to a reckless operation charge and a $100 fine rather than an arrest, police arrested the man because they say he blatantly broke the law by driving without a valid license and texting with the cell phone at steering wheel level.

The state does not track the number of people caught texting on the road, so it’s possible that this driver was the first to get caught. However, police say that while text messaging poses a serious danger to drivers, it can be challenging to enforce the new law.

Source: A first? Texting while driving leads to arrest, UnionLeader.com, April 6, 2010 Continue reading

A 25-year-old Lynn motorist who was charged in connection with a fatal car accident has pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of an accident causing death. He was ordered held on $5,000 cash bail and prohibited from driving.

The auto accident occurred in Revere on Thursday morning when a 59-year-old was reportedly crossing a road near her home. She was apparently hit by a car and her body was thrown into the opposite lane. Emergency responders declared the women dead at the scene.

According to prosecutors, the driver was traveling above the 40 mph speed limit when his vehicle hit the woman and he kept on driving after the accident. However, he turned himself in to police an hour later.

The motorist has prior driving-related offences on his record and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He will return to court later this month.

Source: Man charged in hit-run accident that killed Revere woman, Boston Globe, April 2, 2010 Continue reading

A deadly car accident in Westport, Massachusetts last week proved the seriousness of text messaging while driving. The sole car crash victim was a 21-year-old male who lost control of his Buick Regal and perished less than a mile from his home after driving into a tree.

Police said the damage to the vehicle was catastrophic and that it’s unlikely that anyone could have survived the impact. Skid marks at the scene of the traffic accident show that the Buick was moving at speeds of at least 80 mph in a 30 mph zone. While speed was certainly a factor in the severity of the incident, investigators discovered that the driver had sent a text message just one minute before the auto crash was reported, so they suspect that driver distraction may have played an even bigger role.

No one else was in the car at the time of the accident.

Source: OUR VIEW: Tragedy shows that text messages can wait, Taunton Daily Gazette, March 29, 2010 Continue reading

Earlier this month, the owner of a 2010 Toyota Rav-4 crashed the car into a plastic surgery clinic in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The 70-year-old driver said the vehicle accelerated on its own, and now, in light of the recent Toyota recall, federal investigators are looking into the car crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to spend two days examining the vehicle to see if her story holds weight. Police said they were using sophisticated computers to inspect the car, but they requested an independent investigation to see what might have gone wrong.

Investigators say that eyewitnesses confirm the driver’s story. She was treated for minor injuries. No other injuries were reported in connection with the auto accident.

Source: Feds investigate Mass. woman’s claim that Toyota wouldn’t stop, NECN.com, March 23, 2010 Continue reading

Last week, a car accident in Stratham, Massachusetts seriously injured a 12-year-old middle school student, leaving her in critical condition. According to East Kingston Police, the incident occurred outside the teen’s home around 3:55pm. The girl was riding out of her driveway on a RipStick, a modified skateboard, when she was struck by a Toyota Camry, suffering serious head injuries.

The injured teen was transported to Exeter Hospital, then flown by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. As of this morning, a hospital spokesperson said the girl was still in critical condition.

No charges have been filed in connection with this traffic accident, and police say they are still investigating.

Source: Skateboarder in critical condition after being struck by car, SeaCoastOnline.com, March 24, 2010 Continue reading

Here in Massachusetts, severe weather conditions over the last several days have made driving unusually treacherous, creating at least one car accident in nearby Manchester, New Hampshire. The storm also delayed flights out of airports in New York and Boston and knocked out roads in several parts of the state. The MBTA reports that parts of the D line were taken out of service yesterday due to flooding.

However, WCSH6.com reports that Southern Maine has been hit hardest of all. Roughly 50 roads in York country were closed. Route 202 in Lebanon was covered in water, and Route 1 in York was closed to a single lane yesterday. Hundreds of residents also lost power.

Authorities urged drivers in Massachusetts and throughout New England to use caution on wet, slippery roads.

Source: Storm causing travel problems, WCSH6.com, March 15, 2010 Continue reading

On Saturday, a two-vehicle rollover on Route 25 injured seven people, including five children. Massachusetts police say two of the children were seriously injured. The traffic accident occurred around 11:15 on Saturday morning when a 1999 Toyota Avalon reportedly made contact with a 1999 GMC Suburban, causing both vehicles to roll over.

According to reports, the GMC ended up in the median on the driver’s side, and the Toyota landed on its roof in the breakdown lane. All seven people were initially taken to Tobey Hospital, say police. Two of the children, age 9 and 11, were seriously injured and were later taken to Children’s Hospital in Boston.

Massachusetts troopers are still investigating the cause of this car crash.

Source: Double rollover on Route 25 sends seven to hospital, GateHouse News Service, March 14, 2010 Continue reading

The driver of a Toyota Rav-4 who crashed her vehicle into a Yarmouth, Massachusetts doctor’s office on Tuesday says the accident was not her fault. Her vehicle had supposedly been repaired as part of the Toyota recall, but several drivers have reportedly accelerator problems even after their vehicles were fixed.

The 70-year-old driver, who apparently has a flawless driving record, told her son she put her foot on the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated into the building. Then she reportedly looked down after the car accident and her foot was still on the brake. She suffered minor injuries and back pain, but no one inside the doctor’s office was injured.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the motor vehicle accident.

Source: Blaming Toyota for doctor’s office crash, NECN.com, March 10, 2010 Continue reading