Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Last Friday, an Uxbridge man was seriously injured after driving his car into a tree on Park Street just before 2am. The 20-year-old man suffered severe head trauma, according to the Mendon Police and Fire Chief.

The motor vehicle accident victim was taken by LifeFlight to UMass Memorial Medical Center. His passenger suffered minor injuries and was treated at Milford Regional Medical Center. They were not wearing seat belts.

The car crash is still being investigated by the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Reconstruction Team and Mendon Police. Alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in the auto accident, but it is still unknown if the driver will be charged.

Driver still critical after crash, Milford Daily News, September 22, 2009 Continue reading

A Boston Fire Department vehicle and a 1998 Audi collided on Monday afternoon, injuring four people. The motor vehicle accident occurred in Jamaica Plain. The driver of the Audi was reportedly driving to his fiancé’s house after hearing it was on fire. He collided with the 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle used by District 9 fire chief after allegedly running a red light at the corner of Amory and Atherton streets.

The driver of the car and a young child in the vehicle sustained injuries and were taken to Boston Medical Center for evaluation. The District 9 fire chief and his driver were also injured. They were transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. According to a Boston Fire Department spokesman, all injuries were minor. However, major damage to both vehicles was reported.

The fire that both vehicles were rushing to turned out to be smoke from overcooked food. The driver of the Audi was cited for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle, according to a police report. The auto accident is still under investigation.

Fire chief, 3 others injured in crash, Boston Globe, September 8, 2009 Continue reading

Earlier this week, in Westford, Massachusetts, an auto accident occurred at 6:30am after a Honda CRV veered from the southbound side of 495 into the northbound side. The Honda was broadsided by an oncoming 18-wheeler and hit by a mini-van.

According to police, a 37-year-old male passenger was killed instantly in the collision. Emergency responders were not able to revive the driver, who also died. One man was from Fitchburg and other from Templeton. Both of the car crash victims were taken to Lowell General Hospital. Two other people sustained minor injuries, and the highway reopened several hours later after state police and rescue workers finished tending to the victims.

The crash is being investigated by the Massachusetts State Police, the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section. As of Wednesday afternoon, no charges had been filed in this motor vehicle accident.

Two men killed in ‘horrific’ crash on 495, Westford, The Eagle Tribune, August 26, 2009 Continue reading

Last Thursday morning, a car crash on the Massachusetts Turnpike sent a 6-year-old boy and a 30-year-old man to University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester with serious injuries. The auto accident, which was reported around 10:30am, also caused a temporary closure of several westbound lanes on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

According to state police, the driver was partly ejected from his 1995 Chevrolet Lumina when his car was hit by a Ford Escape operated by a Peabody man, who was not injured in the crash. A preliminary investigation revealed that the Chevy’s tire blew out, causing that vehicle to veer to the right.

As of last Friday, the identity of the younger motor vehicle accident victim had not been released pending notification of the family. The car accident is still under investigation.

Pike crash injures 2 in Charlton, The Republican, August 21, 2009
Two people seriously injured in Pike crash, Telegram.com, August 21, 2009 Continue reading

Last month, a 32-year-old woman from Dedham died of injuries caused when a 71-year-old driver drove over the curb and into a private yard, hitting the woman and her 2-year-old child with her sport utility vehicle.

The child was in stable condition, the Dedham car accident victim died that night at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Police were called to the scene of the car crash on Munroe Street around 3:30pm. The name of the 71-year-old driver has not been released, though that could change if the driver is charged.

According to the Somerville police, the auto accident is being investigated.

Dedham woman dies after Somerville accident, Boston Globe, July 28, 2009 Continue reading

A study released last week by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) discovered that car drivers who talk or listen to someone on a cell phone while driving increase their risk of auto crashes by 1.3 times. Truck drivers who text message up their risk of a motor vehicle crash 23.2 times as compared to a non-distracted driver.

Here in Massachusetts, there are no laws against text messaging while driving, but there is a ban against cell phones for school bus drivers. Earlier this summer, the state Senate approved a bill that would ban texting while driving, but the bill was later overridden. Since May, over a dozen bills relating to driving and cell phone use have been have introduced in the State Senate.

So far, five states have passed legislation banning handheld cell phones for all drivers. Fourteen states (and Washington, DC) have passed legislation banning text messaging for all drivers. No state has completely banned all types of cell phones for all drivers, regardless of age. However, a bill that would prohibit all car and truck drivers from text messaging or emailing while driving was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week.

Texting big risk for drivers, The Martha’s Vineyard Times, August 6, 2009 Continue reading

On Sunday afternoon, a 43-year-old Massachusetts mother and two children, ages 10 and 12, were injured in an car collision on the Route 101 bypass in Milford. Police say the woman was driving a 1998 Volvo station wagon when she skidded into the other lane, colliding with a 2000 Volkswagen. The auto accident occurred on the western part of the bypass between Market Basket and Route 13.

The driver of the Volkswagen was not injured, while the woman driving the Volvo was taken to a Nashua hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The two children who were riding in the Volvo were also taken to the hospital with unknown injuries. The emergency response team included two ambulances from Milford, two ambulances from Amherst, and two Milford Fire Department engines.

Route 101 was closed for less than an hour following the motor vehicle crash. Police are still investigating the car accident.

Woman, 2 kids hurt in Route 101 crash, NashuaTelegraph.com, August 4, 2009 Continue reading

Over the weekend, two Massachusetts State Police troopers were injured in separate traffic accidents in Sharon and Braintree.

The first auto accident occurred at 3:55am on Saturday morning. Trooper Eric Papkee was sitting in his vehicle in the breakdown lane processing traffic violation when his cruiser was hit by another car. The driver was cited for failure to take care in stopping. Papkee was treated for minor injuries to his neck and back at Quincy Hospital and released.

The second auto crash occurred on Sunday evening at 9:49pm. Trooper John McCarthy had stopped a car in the breakdown lane of Route 1 northbound when he was hit from behind by the side mirror of a passing pickup.

The pickup was allegedly driven by a drunk driver, who was charged with operating under the influence of liquor, leaving of the scene of an accident involving personal injury, unlicensed operation, marked lanes violation, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and obstructing an emergency vehicle. McCarthy sustained back and shoulder injuries. He was treated at Norwood Hospital and later released.

2 troopers injured in separate traffic stops, Boston Globe, July 28, 2009 Continue reading

Last week, a pedestrian sustained severe head injuries after he was struck by a car in Brighton as he was strapping his one-year-old child into a car seat. Fredy E. Zepeda was 36. He was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital and treated for what police described as massive head trauma. He died last Thursday. His child was not injured.

According to a Boston police spokesman, police took the 47-year-old driver into custody. The Watertown woman was arraigned last week, and her original charges of leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury and negligent operation of a motor vehicle were upgraded to a charge of motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of personal injury resulting in death. She pleaded not guilty.

According to driving records released by the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the driver had been found responsible for five previous car crashes since 2005.

Driver faces upgraded charges in Brighton crash, Boston Globe, July 20, 2009
Man struck while putting child in car, Boston Globe, July 15, 2009 Continue reading

On Friday night, a Massachusetts state trooper was injured in a car accident in Dorchester. According to police, the cruiser was traveling north on Morrissey Boulevard when another vehicle made a U-turn and caused the crash.

Authorities do not consider the injuries to be life-threatening. The trooper’s vehicle was also carrying a dog at the time of the auto accident, but the dog is said to be fine.

Although some car crashes result in minor injuries, others can lead to serious, life-altering conditions such as burns, brain injuries, or even death. Massachusetts is a no-fault state, so motorists are covered by their own Personal Injury Protection Insurance (PIP), but some car accident victims find that that their medical costs exceed their PIP’s policy limit.

State trooper injured in Dorchester crash, WHDH.com, July 11, 2009 Continue reading