Articles Posted in Truck Accident

A person walking a dog near Dover Road in Millis found the body of an unidentified man who died after his pickup truck veered off the road and into the Charles River. A spokesperson for Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating said the fatal truck accident most likely occurred between 6am and noon on Sunday.

Investigators are trying to determine if the truck crash was weather-related. Less than a quarter-inch of rain in the Millis area around the time of the accident, but that’s more than enough to create slippery and dangerous driving conditions.

Icy roads across parts of Massachusetts led to multiple smaller car accidents yesterday morning. State police said conditions had improved by mid-afternoon. Several crashes involved vehicles that veered off the highway into the median along Route 20 in Waltham, according to a State Police spokesman. In fact, Waltham police issued an advisory to drivers around 7am yesterday after 15 motor vehicle accidents were reported in the area.

Because snow and icy roads can put drivers at greater risk for an accident, it’s especially important to drive responsibility in times of inclement weather.

Source: Man found dead after pickup veers into Charles River, Boston Globe, December 13, 2010 Continue reading

A dump tuck reportedly spilled debris which hit a vehicle, causing delays during the morning commute on 195 near the Plymouth Avenue exit. A spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police said the roadway accident occurred at 9:45am. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident.

The Massachusetts Highway Department came to clean up the spill, and traffic was routed to a passing lane so that crews could clear the debris as of an hour following the accident.

In addition to debris hitting vehicles or causing distractions, highway accidents can also occur as the result of driver fatigue or inattention, speeding, equipment failture, and negligent maintenance.

Source: Dump truck spills debris on 195, casuses one accident with no injuries, December 9, 2010, Herald News Continue reading

A Boston Transportation Department tow truck crashed into a Roxbury building Monday night, and work is in progress to prevent a collapse. The truck hit the 61 St. James Street building shortly before 6 p.m., and six families have been displaced.

The driver, who had been placed on administrative leave, submitted to alcohol and drug testing and is cooperating with an investigation. According to the Boston Globe, he told police that his brakes failed. Witnesses have said that the truck wasn’t speeding.

Even when a truck is not speeding, there is still the possibility of negligence. Sometimes, inattention or fatigue can contribute to truck accidents. Where brakes fail, as this driver says was the case here, it’s possible that the truck was maintained negligently or that there was a defective truck part. There are various parties that can be responsible in these kinds of cases, and an attorney can look into all of the possible avenues.

Damage to property, especially a home, can be devastating. Here, the destruction of a building that can house six families is a lot of damage. Property damage claims should be addressed right away. At Altman & Altman, we have recovered compensation for countless clients who have suffered damage to their property as a result of the negligence of another person. We have been doing this for many years, and we’d be happy to speak with you if you think that you might have a claim.

Source: The Boston Globe, Tow truck remains stuck in Roxbury building as crash is probed
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Earlier this month, a 27-year-old man Massachusetts man was reportedly killed when his Ford pickup truck hit a tree. The single-vehicle accident occurred on Saturday, November 6 at 3:08am. The victim was a former defensive end for Boston College’s football team. He was residing in Salem.

No one else was in the pickup truck at the time of the accident. According to Wicked Local Canton, the Canton Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating the cause of this fatal truck accident.

In cases like this one, where there were no other vehicles involved in a traffic accident, common causes include driver fatigue, medical emergencies such as a heart attack, speed, or alcohol. At this point, it is unknown if any of those were a factor.

Source: Former BC High football player killed in Canton accident, WickedLocal.com, November 12, 2010 Continue reading

On Saturday night, a Massachusetts man died in a traffic accident after his GMC Sierrra hit a tree of Interstate 84. State police said the 52-year-old man was driving eastbound when his vehicle veered off the road. He was not wearing his seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The truck accident remains under investigation. An autopsy will also be performed to determine the cause of death.

Here in Massachusetts, all drivers and passengers age 12 years and older are required to wear seat belt. However, exceptions include on-duty postal workers, emergency vehicle passengers and police and fire vehicle drivers, and drivers and passengers of vehicles made before July 1966.

The state’s current seatbelt law went into effective on February 1, 1994. Failure to wear a seat belt is a secondary offense in Massachusetts, but drivers can be fined $25 for a first offense and $25 each for unrestrained passengers 12-16 years old.

Source: Pickup hits tree on I-84 median, killing Massachusetts man, Republican American, November 1, 2010 Continue reading

A traffic accident last month claimed the life of a 23-year-old man from Dedham. He’d played football at Dedham High School and Mount Idea College in Newton, Massachusetts before moving to Maine to work as assistant football coach at Maine Maritime Academy.

According to a sheriff’s report, the man died at the scene of the truck accident after the pickup truck he was driving crashed and rolled over just after midnight on Sunday, October 24. Another assistant football coach was riding in the truck and sustained minor injuries.

Memorial services for the truck rollover victim were held last Friday. The cause of the crash remains unknown, but common causes for truck accidents include driver fatigue or inattention, speeding, non-compliance with federal safety regulations, and an overloaded (or improperly loaded) truck. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, 11% of the traffic fatalities reported in 2008 involved large trucks.

Source: Football coach from Dedham killed in Maine crash, Boston Globe, October 26, 2010 Continue reading

On Sunday morning around 3am, a 21-year-old Westport man was involved in a truck accident on Route 6. He reportedly hit a utility pole while replying to a text message. His 2001 Ford Ranger rolled over and trapped him inside. Dartmouth police say the driver was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford. The extent of his injuries was unknown.

Massachusetts’ text messaging while driving ban went into effect on September 30. Local police say this was the first serious motor vehicle accident involving text in Dartmouth.

The driver was charged with sending or receiving a text message while driving, failing to stay within marked lanes, and failing to wear a seat belt. The penalty for a first texting while driving offense is $100. That fine increases to $500 for the third offense.

Source: Westport man crashes truck while sending text, WickedLocal.com, October 24, 2010 Continue reading

A truck accident in Millbury this morning injured a Sutton man after two tractor-trailer collided. The accident occurred around 3:45am on a ramp from Route 122 to Massachusetts Turnpike.

According to state police, the 51-year-old man from Sutton was driving a 2000 Mack truck toward to the toll booth. He was going the correct way, but state police report that another driver, a 33-year-old man from Pennsylvania, was in the wrong lane when their vehicles collided.

The injured driver was treated for minor injuries at UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus in Worcester. The other driver was not injured.

The state police truck investigation unit is still investigating the turnpike accident. Here in Massachusetts, drivers may be ticketed for parking in the wrong direction against traffic. They can also be fined no more than $50 for driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

Source: Wrong-way truck causes accident on Pike ramp, The Telegram, October 14, 2010 Continue reading