Articles Posted in Car Accidents

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

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