Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Countless studies have confirmed the link between cell phone use and car crashes. One estimate prepared by the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis states that more than 2,600 people die from cell phone-relatd auto accidents.

According to CellularNews.com, the United States and Sweden are the only two industrialized nations that do not prohibit cell phone use while driving (though many allow it with a hands-free set). Many states, including Massachusetts, have discussed the possibility of banning drivers from using cell phones on the road. But aside from fining drivers for violating the ban, there seems to be little that law enforcement officials can do to prevent cell phone use.

This gave Fred Wenz, a UPS deliveryman, an idea. Wenze formed Try Safety First LLC with John Fischer and the pair has filed a provisional patent for an owner compliance key (OCK). The device will block the incoming and outgoing radio signal to and from cell phones for a five-foot radius – preventing the person in the driver’s seat from making or receiving calls. The OCK could be used on a secondary set of keys (say, for a teen driver) or on the primary set of keys. The company is in the funding stages.

Hang up and drive, Enquirer.com, April 9, 2009 Continue reading

Over the weekend, a 16-year-old from Quincy, Massachusetts died in a rollover car crash in the southbound lane of Interstate 89 in Hopkinton. A press release from the State Police states that the auto accident occurred around 2:19pm on Saturday afternoon. Police arrived at the accident and found a Jeep on its side on the media. They believe that the Jeep veered off the roadway and rolled over several times before it landed on its side.

The driver, Michael Richardson, 48, of Quincy, Massachusetts, and the front passenger, Angenetta Cairo, 35, also of Quincy, were both wearing seatbelts and did not sustain any injuries. Anthoney Wilkerson, 16, was riding in the backseat but was not wearing his seatbelt. Members of the Hopkinton Rescue Squad tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead by the state Medical Examiner’s Office.

Driver impairment does not appear to be a cause of the car accident, and according to the press release, fatigue or “inattention/distraction” may have contributed.

Crash claims Mass. teen, UnionLeader.com, March 22, 2009 Continue reading

In Salem, a car accident injured four people on Thursday evening. Three of the car crash victims were taken to local hospitals, and the vehicles were severely damaged.

The auto accident occurred on the northbound lane of Fort Avenue around 7:30pm. The driver of a 2002 Ford Mustang GT was in the wrong lane and collided with a Honda Odyssey. Both cars caught fire as a result.

A passenger riding in the Mustang was thrown from the car and later taken to Massachusetts General Hospital by MedFlight helicopter. According to the Salem’s fire deputy chief, two other accident victims were taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

The cause of the motor vehicle accident and the names of the victims are unknown.

4 hurt in fiery crash, Salem News, March 13, 2009 Continue reading

Earlier this week, a Salem resident was awakened by loud noises and bright lights on his lawn. He and his girlfriend initially thought it was a thunderstorm, but they didn’t fathom that it could be a burning car on his front lawn.

John Frost, a Marlborough Road resident, rushed outside with a fire extinguisher and watched someone crawl out of the overturned car shortly after 1am. Miraculously, there were no injuries in the car crash. However, the driver and passenger were transported to Salem Hospital as a precaution.

The driver, a 32-year-old from Peabody, was driving from Peabody toward Highland Avenue. He told police he had brake trouble coming around the curve. His car became airborne before it hit two cars in a driveway (both of which were towed) and tore the front gutter off the house.

According to Salem News, the driver will be cited for speeding, driving without a license, operating to endanger, and a marked lanes violation.

Wild crash ends with flames on resident’s lawn, Salem News, March 10, 2009 Continue reading

On Sunday night around 8:18pm, a 2006 Toyota Prius collided head-on with a 2003 Saturn Ion on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. According to a state police trooper, both drivers were treated for minor injuries at local hospitals.

The Boston Herald reports that the injured drivers were Cynthia Scott, 54, of Wellesley and Jonathan Buchbinder, 53, of Quincy. The scene of the accident was at 8:55pm and Memorial Drive at Magazine Street was shut down.

The cause of the car accident has not been released.

Drivers survive head-on Memorial Drive collision Sunday, Boston Herald, March 9, 2009 Continue reading

On Friday afternoon, a car accident injured the four occupants of a Toyota Corolla that had spun out of control and slammed into a large cement planter. The passengers and driver were taken by Action Ambulance to local hospitals. Two were in serious condition.

The car was traveling down Essex Street in Swampscott and passed two other car before the driver, Nicholas Linear, lost control. The 19-year-old lives in Salem. His passengers included Edgar Manan, 20, also of Salem, Bernard Coleman, 21, of Dorchester, and Jonathan Elvert, 26, of Medford.

According to Salem News, Linear and Manan have already been released from the hospital. The other two car crash victims are being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The auto accident is still under investigation by Massachusetts State Police.

4 injured in Swampscott crash, Salem News, February 28, 2009
Two seriously injured in Essex Street crash, WickedLocal.com, February 27, 2009 Continue reading

A North Attleboro man was arrested on one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after allowing his unlicensed 15-year-old relative to drive his car. The teen accidentally drove into the parking lot of Cumberland Farms around 9:40pm last Saturday night. She confused the brake and the gas pedal, and the 2006 Pontiac Vibe crashed into the brick and glass façade of the store. Fortunately, the customers and cashiers scattered and no one was harmed.

The man, 49-year-old Thomas M. Gibbons, told police he was giving her a driving lesson. The received a traffic citation for driving without a license. According to police, the car crash caused “significant damage” to the store’s brick façade and window display.

A similar incident occurred last April, when a 49-year-old woman was drove into the façade of the former Sunrise Bagel Shop during her road test for her driver’s license. She, too, had mistaken the brake and the gas pedal. But because she had a valid learner’s permit, police did not cite her. She was treated for minor injuries, but no one else was harmed.

Unlicensed teen slams car through Cumberland Farms, The Call, February 23, 2009 Continue reading

In Lynn, Massachusetts, a car accident on July 12 left a police officer severely injured and out of work. The State Police accident report states that high speeds, running a red light, and not wearing a seat belt all appear to be factors in the car crash.

The auto accident occurred at the intersection of Western Avenue and Chestnut Street, where a police cruiser driven by officer Gregory LeBlanc collided with another vehicle driven by Lt. Christopher Reddy. According to the report, Reddy was driving westbound on Chestnut Street, when slowed his vehicle as he drove through a green light and “T-boned” the cruiser driven by LeBlanc.

Massachusetts state law exempts on-duty police officers from wearing seat belts, so neither one was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. Reddy sustained minor injuries and returned to work within a few days. LeBlanc had to be extricated from his cruiser and transported to a Boston hospital by helicopter. According to his wife, LeBlanc suffered a shattered pelvis and received three surgeries in two weeks.

As of late last year, LeBlanc’s medical bills had topped $410,000 and the city of Lynn will likely be expected pay half once LeBlanc’s insurance coverage kicks in.

Report: Lynn cruiser crash due to lax safety measures, ItemLive.com, February 10, 2009 Continue reading

In Saugus, a 28-year veteran of the Massachusetts state police died an early morning car crash last week. Captain Richard Cashin, 52, was working the 11pm to 7am shift when his cruiser, an unmarked Crown Victoria, hit a utility pole, crossed a parking lot, and slammed into a snow bank off Route 1 north. The car crash occurred around 1:45am.

No other vehicles were involved, and Cashin was pronounced dead at the scene of the car accident. The cause of this tragic auto accident is under investigation, but authorities said it does not appear to be weather-related. Cashin had worked with the state police since 1980 and some believe that he is the highest-ranking Massachusetts state police officer ever to die in the line of duty.

Our condolences go out to Cashin’s wife and four children on the loss of their husband and father.

State Trooper Killed In Route 1 Crash, WBZTV.com, January 28, 2009
Mass. state trooper dies in crash, Associated Press, January 28, 2009 Continue reading

The Boston Globe reports that a Wellesley, Massachusetts man was killed in a car crash while on a fishing trip in Argentina. The family of Thomas Patrick McDermott, 73, formerly the head of Ernst & Young’s New England division, said that McDermott often traveled to South America on philanthropic trips and to visit his wife’s family in Chile.

The truck McDremott was riding in, along with his companion, Thomas Fritz, turned over. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, and the car’s driver, William Smith Kanaga, 83, of Orleans Massachusetts was pinned underneath the car. A representative of the United States embassy in Buenos Aires said Kanaga was in serious but stable condition following the motor vehicle accident.

According to the representative, the State Department is investigating the car accident.

Wellesley man dies in Argentina crash, Boston Globe, January 27, 2009
Argentina: 2 Americans die in car accident, Associated Press, January 26, 2009 Continue reading