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Our Massachusetts motor vehicle accident attorneys read about a recent crash in Auburn, MA that killed two people. According to police, a Toyota Camry and a Mazda collided on Sunday morning on Route 20. The names of the two male passengers who killed in the traffic accident have not been released. They were riding in the Mazda.

The drivers of both vehicles sustained injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. Authorities closed a stretch of the road for several hours following the fatal collision.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated.

Last week, an auto accident in Central Massachusetts caused traffic headaches for turnpike drivers in both directions. The crash occurred when a pickup truck reportedly hit a tractor-trailer that was stopped in the breakdown lane on the eastbound side of the turnpike.

The driver of the Toyota Tundra pickup sustained serious injuries, and state police closed both sides of the highway to make way for a medical helicopter. According to a statement released just after 11am that morning, a 2-mile backup had formed by the time the westbound side of the road was reopened. In an update released that afternoon, police said that all lanes were reopened around 12:30pm and an 8-mile backup had formed.

Earlier that day, another serious traffic accident had occurred when a tractor-trailer hauling corn caught fire.

Source: Grafton crash snarls Pike traffic, Boston Globe, August 6, 2010 Continue reading

On Saturday morning, a two-vehicle accident on Route 25 westbound injured two people. The rollover accident occurred around 10am on Saturday, June 19.

The accident trapped a female driver inside a red sedan. She sustained serious injuries and was transported via MedFlight helicopter to a hospital in Rhode Island. Traffic was heavily conjested as the MedFlight copter landed on the highway. According to reports, the driver of one of the vehicles reportedly crossed the median and hit the other vehicle head-on.

The car crash is will being investigated by state police.

Source: Two injured in Bourne rollover accident Saturday, CapeCodToday.com, June 19, 2010 Continue reading

Massachusetts drivers have a reputation for being aggressive, but a recent study found that Bay State motorists are not the worst in the country (nor as they the best). The GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test assessed the driving knowledge of thousands of motorists, quizzing them on 20 questions from actual DMV exams.

Massachusetts came in at 38. New York ranked the worst, and Kansas came out on top.

The results of the test show that many drivers could use a refresher course on the basic rules of the road. In general, men scored better and older drivers achieved higher scores.

Source: Mass. ranks 38th in driver’s survey, WWLP.com, May 28, 2010 Continue reading

Yesterday, two Boston Police officers were injured in separate motorcycle crashes on Warren Street in Roxbury. The accidents occurred within minutes of each other and just six blocks from each other. According to a department spokesperson, the first crash occurred around 10:25am. An off-duty officer riding his own motorcycle was injured in a car accident near the intersection of Warren Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

The second accident occurred after an on-duty officer riding a department motorcycle was involved in a separate motor vehicle accident while en route to the scene of the first accident. The second motorcycle crash happened near 564 Warren Street.

Both officers were transported to Boston Medical Center, and their injuries are thought to be non-life-threatening. The department is investigating both motor vehicle accidents.

Source: Two Boston Police officers injured in separate Roxbury crashes, Boston Globe, May 26, 2010 Continue reading

The Boston Globe recently reported that the number of traffic deaths in Massachusetts dropped between 2007 and 2008, according to federal highway safety officials. Last year, the number of traffic deaths nationwide dropped to 37,261, the lowest level since 1961. In Massachusetts, the numbers dropped from 434 to 363, representing a 16% drop.

The counties with the highest number of traffic deaths were Middlesex and Worcester, which each had 56 deaths or 15% of the total. The number of alcohol-related crash fatalities decreased by 20%, which officials attribute to law enforcement, sobriety checkpoints, and improved driver education.

According to federal officials, early data based on the first quarter of 2009 indicates that the nationwide declining trend may continue.

State traffic deaths fall 16%, following US trend, Boston Globe, July 4, 2009 Continue reading

Experts estimate that an average of 5,000 Americans die in tractor-trailer related accidents annually. Last year, Massachusetts had a total of 22 fatal tractor-trailer accidents. According to data gathered by Road Safe America, the number of large trucks involved in crashes in Massachusetts has nearly doubled between 2004 and 2007.

In 2004, there were a total of 954 fatal and non-fatal Massachusetts truck accidents combined. That number increased to 1,689 in 2007. There were 912 non-fatal truck accidents in Massachusetts in 2004 compared with 2,228 in 2008. Not surprisingly, the number of injuries associated with truck accidents has also increased.

The cause of these truck accidents can include driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding, failing to use protective measures like seatbelts and helmets, and poor vehicle impact protection. Road Safe America also states that likelihood of a truck accident resulting in death or serious injury increases with each extra ton of weight over 80,000 pounds.

Trucking Accident Statistics in Massachusetts, InjuryBoard.com, May 28, 2009 Continue reading

Earlier this month, Massachusetts state police launched a statewide campaign stressing a zero-tolerance policy on seat belt violations. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 14,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents while unbelted in the United States in 2007. Seat belts can reduce the risk of a fatal injury by up to 60 percent when worn correctly.

The Click It or Ticket campaign means that more troopers and local police will be monitoring Massachusetts roadways to ensure that drivers comply with seat belt laws. In Massachusetts, drivers and passengers are subject to a $25 fine for each occupant not properly restrained.

Said the superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, “Safety belts are your best defense against other drivers and the best chance for survival in a crash, yet more than 30 percent of Massachusetts drivers still aren’t buckling up.”

Drivers agree safety should dictate seat belts, texting ban, The Daily Item, May 23, 2009 Continue reading

Springfield-based Peter Pan Bus Lines has suspended a bus driver who was caught on video using his cell phone, eating chips, and tearing passenger’s tickets while driving. A passenger captured the incident on camera and posted it on YouTube before forwarding the link to company officials.

Officials said they are investigating the incident, which occurred on a trip from Boston to New York City on Tuesday, April 7. They have not released the name of the bus driver but said the behavior was against company protocol.

A Green Line trolley accident that occurred earlier this month injured close to 50 people. That employee has admitted to texting his girlfriend just before the subway collision and has been fired by the MBTA. The operators’ union is challenging the cell phone ban that the MBTA issued to its drivers just after the accident.

Peter Pan Bus Lines driver suspended after passenger posts video of him on cell phone while driving, The Republican, May 19, 2009 Continue reading

The Boston Globe reports that a tanker truck in Revere flipped in a rotary early yesterday morning, spilling most of its 10,000 gallons of fuel into a storm drain and a creek. No one was hurt in the truck accident, but the tanker was punctured in six places, according to Revere’s fire chief, who added that the driver may been going too fast around the rotary.

The truck was traveling from Revere to Leominster, and the company could not be reached for comment. However, a search on safersys.org by a Metro reported revealed that the company has not had another truck crashes in the past two years. It also received a satisfactory rating when federal inspectors reviewed the company in July 2000.

Emergency responders were not able to stop the flow of heating oil into the storm drain and Diamond Creek, so it may require an environmental cleanup crew since the creek flows into Pine River and empties into the ocean.

Tanker spills 10,000 gallons of heating oil in Revere, Boston Globe, April 20, 2009 Continue reading