Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

May 29, 2015

$32.5M Truck Accident Verdict Awarded to Woman Who Sustained Traumatic Brain Injury

A jury has awarded a 40-year-old woman $32.5 million for injuries she sustained in a 2006 truck crash. Kristen Zak, then 31, sustained a traumatic brain injury and developed partial paralysis after the car she was a passenger in slid on any icy patch of road and into a median. There it collided with a transport truck that had crashed into the median just an hour before.

According to the plaintiff’s truck crash attorneys, trucker Terry Brown Jr. had been going too fast and did not follow safety regulations, which required him to put out reflective triangles and turn on the disabled truck’s flashing lights. The jury found Brown and J.B. Hunt Transport 30% liable for Zak’s injuries. Matt Robison, who was driving the car she had been riding when the accident happened, was found 40% liable.

After the truck crash, Zak, who now also suffers from serious cognitive deficits, was left wheelchair-bound and unable to take care of her young daughter or recognize the man who was fiancé.

May 28, 2015

Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Massachusetts

by Altman & Altman

Riding a motorcycle is inherently dangerous. A bike’s small size and lack of enclosure make motorcyclists more vulnerable to injury than other motorists. In fact, motorcycle riders are over 26 times more likely to be killed in a crash than car and truck drivers. However, the risks can be minimized significantly by taking proper precautions when you ride. You can also lessen your chance of having an accident by performing regular maintenance on your bike.

Below is a list of common causes of motorcycle accidents and how to avoid them. By following safe riding practices, you will greatly reduce your risk of serious injury or death. Continue reading

May 22, 2015

Memorial Day Road Forecast: AAA Projects Highest Travel Volume in 10 Years

by Altman & Altman

Travelers from across the country have traded in their snow boots for flip-flops in celebration of the summer’s official kickoff weekend, Memorial Day. AAA Travel has projected this Memorial Day weekend to see the highest travel volume in 10 years, with gas prices at record lows. Analysts anticipate more than 37.2 million Americans will journey more than 50 miles or more Thursday through Monday. Whether you’re staying at home or you’re hitting the roads this weekend, Altman & Altman would like to remind you of some practical tips that will keep you and your family safe this weekend.

One of the most important things you can do to avoid a hiccup during your travel is to plan and prepare ahead of time. Here’s a list from last year that AAA, RepairPal and Safekids.org that we’d like to pass along to you. Continue reading

May 21, 2015

Driving Safely Through Summer Road Construction Projects In Boston

by Altman & Altman

More fatal car accidents occur in summer than during any other season. Multiple factors contribute to summer car accidents, including alcohol, heavy rain, and aggressive driving. However, work zone accidents account for a shocking number of serious injuries and deaths every year. Thousands of people are injured or killed within a relatively small window of time (mid-May through mid-October), therefore it is prudent to use extreme caution when driving through any type of work zone.

Approximately 85 percent of the time it is the driver or passenger, not a construction worker, who is injured or killed in road construction accidents. Unfortunately, road construction season typically coincides with vacation season. Roadways are clogged with an influx of beach-goers, college kids coming home for the summer, and people traveling for summer break. The delays caused by road construction combined with the surplus of drivers creates a dangerous scenario. Not surprisingly, aggressive driving is also most common in summer months. Continue reading

May 20, 2015

Takata Expands Recall to Almost 34 Million Air Bags

by Altman & Altman

Takata Corporation has expanded its air bag recall to nearly 34 million devices. Already, six fatalities and more than 100 injuries that have been linked to exploding shrapnel from these defective safety devices. As part of an agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Takata has admitted that these air bags are flawed.

Until recently the recall affected over 16 million autos with Takata side passenger inflators and only in regions in the U.S. with high humidity. The recall now affects close to 34 million cars and trucks and has gone national. The safety devices were made with a propellant that can degrade.

A Takata air bag with a propellant that has degraded may be at risk of inflating too fast, which could create extra pressure that may make the air bag rupture and shoot metal shards into the vehicle. The metal pieces can cause puncture wounds, organ damage, cuts, bruises, eye injuries, and blindness—not to mention that an exploding air bag cannot properly provide protection during a Boston car crash.

May 19, 2015

Fatal Tractor-Trailer / Pedestrian Accident in Worcester

by Altman & Altman

Worcester, Mass. – A fatal accident involving two pedestrians and a tractor-trailer occurred Thursday evening, just after 9:30 pm. When police arrived at Kelley Square, they found 24-year-old Sarah Ewing pinned under the truck’s rear wheels.

Witnesses said the driver of the 18-wheeler pulled to the side of Millbury Street to let a fire truck pass, then entered Kelley Square and attempted a right-hand turn toward I-290’s on-ramp. According to a preliminary investigation, the truck apparently cut the turn too sharply resulting in a collision with a light pole. The two pedestrians involved in the accident were standing by the light pole at the time of the collision. Upon impact, the pole began to fall, forcing the pedestrians to run in the direction of the truck to avoid being struck by the falling pole.

May 15, 2015

Recent Massachusetts Car Crashes in Milton, Saugus, and Beverly Lead to Fatalities

by Altman & Altman

A Milton, Ma. multi-vehicle collision killed a Mattapan man while injuring three other people on Saturday. Kelly Young was 56.

According to police, the head-on chain-reaction happened when a Boston woman in a Toyota Corolla was rear-ended by a Holbrook man in his vehicle. The impact of the crash sent the man’s auto into oncoming traffic, where it hit Young’s vehicle head on. An 8-year-old girl was among those who were inured.

On Sunday, a deadly Beverly traffic crash claimed the life of a female passenger. The accident happened when the car she was in went through a red light and hit a truck. The driver of the truck was critically injured.

April 30, 2015

$150M Auto Defects Verdict Rendered Against Fiat Chrysler in Car Fire Death of Boy

by Altman & Altman

A jury has ordered Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV to pay the family of young Remington Walden $150 million. The 4-year-old boy was burned to death in a 2012 car accident. The jury arrived at their verdict after finding that the automaker was reckless in its design of the gas tank of the 1999 Jeep Cherokee.

This is the first trial against Fiat Chrysler over fires involving older Jeep models that burst into flames after they were struck from behind. Auto products liability plaintiffs claim that the gas tanks, which are some 11 inches from the rear of the vehicle, are not safely situated. Already, at least 75 deaths in almost two decades have been linked to the older Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokee. Some 1.5 million have been recalled. The 1999 model in which Walden was riding was not part of the recall.

It wasn’t until the 2005 Jeep models that the gas tanks of these vehicles were relocated to a different location on the car between the rear and front axles. The plaintiff’s legal team argued that the redesign was because the older design was flawed. They accused Fiat of destroying documents regarding the modification to hide the real reason for the fix. The automaker, however, maintains that both the newer and older designs are safe.

April 24, 2015

Wareham, MA Rollover Accident Kills One, Injures Another

by Altman & Altman

In a Massachusetts rollover accident, this one in Wareham, a 24-year-old Cotuit man was pronounced dead at the crash site while another man, age 20, was taken to a hospital for serious injuries. Both men were thrown from the van they were riding. Police are trying to determine which of the two men was driving the vehicle when the traffic crash happened.

It was just last month that a woman was killed in a New Bedford rollover collision. A passenger, a woman, died after being thrown from the car when the driver tried to avoid snow on the ground. The driver, a 19-year-old woman, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Theresa Suprenant, 22, died at the Massachusetts accident scene.

April 16, 2015

With Spring Weather, More Massachusetts Motorcycle Accidents

by Altman & Altman

With spring weather finally arriving, more motorcyclists are out on the roads. The chances of a Massachusetts motorcycle crash happening goes up.

In one Westhampton motorcycle accident earlier this week, a 26-year-old Chester, MA man died after he lost control of his bike, crashing. Gregory Asher was pronounced dead at a Northampton hospital.

Just two days before, another rider sustained serious injuries in a Palmer, MA motorcycle accident when his bike collided with a car that was turning right into a Friendly’s parking lot. The motorcyclist, who was thrown off the bike, suffered a leg injury. The driver of the car, which was a Toyota Camry, was given a citation for not yielding the right of way.

Aside from the fact that there are more motorcyclists on the road, poor road conditions because of the winter weather can take a toll. New potholes, as well as gravel, salt, and sand from the previous snow can make road surfaces challenging for riders, especially inexperienced ones. It doesn’t help that a lot of car drivers sometimes forget that thee are supposed to safely ‘share the road’ with motorcycle riders—a reason for the “Share the Road” campaigns over the year to help promote greater motorcyclist awareness.