Articles Posted in Car Accidents

According to a survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only about two thirds of Massachusetts drivers are likely to wear a seat belt. Massachusetts has the lowest percentage of seat belt use in the country despite the fact that research has proven the effectiveness of seat belts in saving lives during a car accident.

In fact, three separate Massachusetts motor vehicle accidents during this past 4th of July weekend resulted in a total of seven deaths where seat belts went unused.

Drivers and passengers give a variety of excuses, among them “I only wear one on the highway,” “it’s comfortable,” and “I don’t want to mess up my shirt.” Massachusetts lawmakers have introduced mandatory seat belt legislation in an effort to combat these attitudes.

Bay State’s scorn for seat belts unrivaled, Boston Globe, July 8, 2009 Continue reading

In Bourne, Massachusetts, the driver of a truck with a boat attached was injured when his truck crashed into the median strip and woods on Route 28 North. The boat, measuring approximately 25 feet, was being towed by the truck and came off of its trailer as a result of the crash.

The motor vehicle accident occurred at about 4am on Saturday morning. One lane of traffic on Route 28 was closed for about an hour while the boat and truck were removed from the scene of the truck accident. Bourne police and firefighters were on the scene investigating the crash.

The truck driver was transported to Falmouth Hospital. The extent of his injuries are unknown.

Truck with boat attached involved in accident in Bourne, MA, NECN.com, June 20, 2009 Continue reading

Over the weekend, a Canton driver hit and killed a 4-year-old girl who was out for a walk with her grandfather. The girl was on a scooter in a Washington Street crosswalk when the car accident occurred. According to those who witnessed the accident, the impact threw the girl 50 to 60 feet. She was taken to Tufts Medical Center, where she later died of her injuries.

Just after the accident, the Registry of Motor Vehicles revoked the 88-year-old driver had her license revoked. The RMV cited her as an “immediate threat.” On Sunday, the Massachusetts state police collision analysis and reconstruction team was the scene of the pedestrian accident.

It is unclear what caused the driver to hit the girl, but State Senator Brian Joyce, of Milton, says he hopes to get a hearing this for a bill that require Massachusetts drivers over the age of 85 to take road and vision tests. The bill has been opposed by several organizations for older Americans, who worry that it could result in age discrimination.

Elderly Driver Charged In Deadly Stoughton Crash, WBZTV.com, June 15, 2009 Continue reading

This morning, a four-vehicle accident on Route 128 in Waltham caused major delays during the morning commute. The crash closed two northbound lanes of Route 128. The southbound lane was backed up due to the “curiosity factor.”

According to the Boston Globe, the motor vehicle accident happened just before 7am a few miles north of the Massachusetts Turnpike. A spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police said the crash involved a delivery truck, a tractor trailer, and two other vehicles.

Some of the drivers involved in the crash suffered injuries; however, police not know the extent of their injuries.

Crash on Rte. 128 in Waltham slows commute, Boston Globe, June 17, 2009 Continue reading

On Monday afternoon, a Massachusetts woman was taken by ambulance to a local hospital following a one-vehicle accident on Route 3 in Augusta, Maine. The woman was driving east in her Infiniti when she says that two lanes merged and a truck cut her vehicle off. The Infiniti went into a ditch, hit some tress, and rolled over.

Police said the accident occurred roughly 10 feet from the Augusta-Vassalboro town line. The car crash was reported at 3:56pm, and emergency responders had the scene of the auto accident cleared by 5:55pm that day.

Responders included the Kennebec Sheriff’s Office, Vassalboro Fire Department, and Augusta Fire Department. They did have to remove some trees to remove the car from the woods. The woman’s injuries were not life-threatening, but her car was declared totaled.

Augusta Crash Injures One, Destroys Vehicle, WMTW.com, June 8, 2009 Continue reading

On Friday, the mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts allegedly ran a stop sign and crashed his 2003 Lexus into another car while touring the city with the state’s top transportation official.

Mayor Robert Correai was driving Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation James A. Aloisi Jr., as well as Senator Joan Menard and Rep. Michael Rodrigues, when the auto accident occurred. They were on their way to meet a news reporter.

The driver of the other car, a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder, told police that the mayor ran a stop sign and that she was not able to stop in time. No one was injured in the motor vehicle accident, but police cited Correia for failing to stop in accordance with Massachusetts law. He received a $100 traffic ticket.

Police: Mayor Runs Stop Sign, Causes Crash, TheBostonChannel.com, June 7, 2009 Continue reading

In Danvers, a 93-year-old man crashed his car into the entrance of a Wal-Mart off Andover Street. The car accident occurred just before 10am, injuring a mother and her one-year-old daughter. Several other people were taken to the hospital due to the shock of the accident, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, according to the Deputy Fire Chief. The driver refused medical treatment, but his 90-year-old wife was transported to the hospital as a precaution.

According to a preliminary investigation, authorities say the auto accident happened because the driver stepped on the gas instead of the brake pedal as he was trying to park his Toyota Camry. The car rammed into two cash register stations inside the store, narrowly fitting in between concrete posts intended to prevent cars from getting in the entrance.

Although there was no structural damage to the store, authorities estimate that the car crash caused between $50,000 and $60,00 in damage.

Mother and baby injured as car crashes into Danvers Wal-Mart, Boston Globe, June 2, 2009 Continue reading

According to the Boston Herald, state troopers have been issuing a startling number of tickets to Massachusetts drivers. In the first three months of this year, the number of speeding citations increased by 23 percent over the first quarter of 2007. Overall, troopers gave out more than 12,000 speeding tickets on the Mass. Pike in the first three months of this year.

Some drivers accuse the Pike of increased ticketing to compensate for a budget crunch created by the Big Dig construction project. However, a spokesman for the Executive Office Transportation insists that the number of tickets is based on a concern for public safety and a desire to minimize the number of motor vehicle accidents related to speeding or reckless driving.

Most of the speeding tickets are issued by Troop E, which is the state police unit assigned to patrol the 138-mil toll road. According to the United States Department of Transportation, the risk of sustaining injuries in a car crash increases exponentially with speeds much faster than the median speed.

Staties slap drivers, filling Pike’s coffers, Boston Herald, May 27, 2009 Continue reading

On Friday morning, a car crash on 128 South in Burlington caused police to shut down all lanes of Route 128 intermittently for roughly two hours. Massachusetts state police said two people were on the ground when troopers arrived.

According to state police, Robert Carlo Jr., 29, of Bedford was driving a 2008 Ford pickup truck when he swerved into the right lane and hit a 1996 Ford Explorer just before 7am, causing the Explorer to spin out of control and cross into the far left lane. The Explorer hit a 2008 Dodge Durango, killing two Lawrence men and injuring others.

The deceased motor vehicle accident victims were identified as Juan Condorie, 43, and Alberto Maza, 22. Maza was pronounced dead at the scene of the car accident, but Condorie was taken by helicopter to Boston Medical Center before passing away that afternoon. Three other men were taken to Lahey Clinic in Burlington and were later discharged.

Two Lawrence men dead in hit-and-run on Route 128, Eagle Tribune, May 23, 2009
Crash shuts down 128 South in Burlington, NECN.com, May 22, 2009 Continue reading

Over the weekend, an 18-year-old high school student hit and killed a pedestrian as he drove home from a school-sponsored harbor cruise in Boston following his senior prom. Jonathan Caruso allegedly drove off Essex Road, hit a road sign, a telephone pole, a bush, and two women who were out walking their dog. Carol Marean, 67, was pronounced dead at the scene of the car accident, while her daughter, Charlotte Marean, 41, was seriously injured.

According to witnesses, the three teenagers involved in the car crash (none of whom were injured) tried to flee the accident until a neighbor threatened to turn them in. They waited for police to arrive, and Caruso was arrested after failing a sobriety test and reportedly telling his friends he’d had 10 beers. School officials said that all students were given breath tests and had their bags checked before the prom and before the cruise.

A judge ordered Caruso held on $7,500 cash bail, and the student was charged with negligent motor-vehicle homicide, transporting alcohol as a minor, and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Today he pleaded appeared in Lynn District Court and pleaded not guilty.

Saugus teen arraigned in post-prom crash death, Boston Globe, May 18, 2009 Continue reading