by

According to WickedLocal.com, a 2004 Honda Civic hit a 17-year-old pedestrian last week. The accident occurred around 6pm last Thursday near TD Bank in Lexington. The male teen was reportedly crossing Massachusetts Avenue in a crosswalk when he was struck by the car.

The driver involved in the accident said he could not see around the van in front or him and hit the pedestrian’s lower leg. Police officers responding to the accident said the pedestrian may have sustained injuries to his wrist. The incident resulted in minor damage to the Honda’s hood above the left headlight.

Massachusetts law states that drivers are required to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. Failure to do so could result in a $100 fine. Massachusetts drivers hit an estimated 10,000 pedestrians each year.

Source: Pedestrian struck on Mass. Ave. in Lexington Center, WickedLocal.com, November 18, 2010 Continue reading

by

A 70-year-old Pittsfield man who was involved in a motor vehicle accident last month has died at Albany Medical Center, apparently from serious injuries he sustained in the October 19 accident.

Pittsfield police say they are continuing to investigate the fatal accident, which involved a 49-year-old woman who was cited for failing to stop for a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk. They are asking anyone who witnessed the pedestrian accident to call (413) 448-9700.

Authorities are reviewing the circumstances around the crash to determine if the driver will be held criminally responsible. Cases where a driver may be found criminal responsible include when the driver is found to have been driving too fast, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or driving recklessly with willful and wanton disregard for the probability that the driving may cause an accident. Driver negligence is considered less severe than reckless driving.

Source: Pittsfield Fatal Accident Police continue investigation, The Berkshire Eagle, November 19, 2010 Continue reading

by

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts General Assembly voted to raise the minimum age of All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) riders to 14 years of age. The minimum age had been 10 years with adult supervision on a parent’s land for those between 10 and 12 or 12-14 for those supervised by an adult over 18. Safety advocates and trauma surgeons urged legislators to raise the minimum rider age and prevent ATV accidents.

The state Senate passed similar legislation in January but included a provision for younger riders in a sanctioned with adult supervision. Before the bill becomes a law, Massachusetts lawmakers must find compromise language.

According to ATVSafety.gov, there were 17 reported deaths in Massachusetts from ATV accidents for children under 16 between 1982 and 2005. The total reported ATV deaths in Massachusetts during that same time period was 66. All ATV riders are required to wear a helmet.

Source: Massachusetts’ House Raises Age of ATV Riders, The Safety Record, June, 2010 Continue reading

by

A boat capsized early Monday morning, claiming the life of a 64-year-old Massachusetts man and injuring his brother. The two were found in Boston Harbor by Coast Guard after family members called and said they did arrive home as expected. Rescue helicopters found one of the brothers around 5:52am. He was taken by rescue helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital.

The other brother was located around 8am but was unresponsive according to Coast Guard. A rescue helicopter crew brought the man back to Station Point Allerton before we was reportedly transferred to local EMS and later died. It’s not known why the two brothers were on Boston Harbor but it’s been conjectured that they attempting to retrieve lobster traps near Hull Gut.

Because of the hazards associated with being on the water the Massachusetts Boat and Recreation Vehicle Safety Bureau prohibits operating boats under the influence of drugs or alcohol, operating at greater than headway speed within 150 feet of a swimmer, or operating in an overloaded condition. It’s unclear if any of these were a factor in the fatal boating accident.

Source: 1 Brother Rescued, 1 Drowned In Boston Harbor, TheBostonChannel.com, November 15, 2010 Continue reading

by

An Orange Line train at Malden Center struck and killed a 41-year-old woman on Monday. She was standing on the platform around 1:30 p.m. when she was hit. She fell into the tracks and was later pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Transit police detectives are conducting an investigation. Authorities did not say whether this was a suicide or an accident.

Source: The Boston Globe, Woman, 41, struck and killed by Orange Line train in Malden, officials say

If you have suffered an injury in an MBTA accident, call Altman & Altman LLP. We can help you to work out your claim. We have successfully brought claims against the MBTA for almost 50 years.
Continue reading

by

According to NECN and other news sources, a single-vehicle accident early Sunday morning killed two 21-year-old men and seriously injured another. The driver reportedly lost control over his 2005 Nissan Maxima and was killed when it rolled over, also killing one passenger.

Another passenger was thrown from the vehicle and sustained serious injuries. The Natick man was taken by ambulance to UMass Medical Center in Worcester. Massachusetts State Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the rollover accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that rollover accidents are among the most serious types of accidents. About 3% of all passenger car and light trucks and vans accidents involve a rollover; however, about one-third of all traffic fatalities involve rollovers. SUVs have the highest rollover fatality rate (59%), while passenger cars have the lowest (23%).

Sources:
Two men die in early morning accident on Mass Pike, NECN, November 14, 2010 Single-car crash kills 2 on Mass. Pike, MyFoxBusiness.com, November 14, 2010 Report from NHTSA
Continue reading

by

David Weaving, a 48-year-old Connecticut man who struck and killed a 14-year-old bicyclist, is suing the child’s parents for letting the child ride without a helmet. It is a countersuit to a filing by the family alleging negligence. Both Weaving and the family are seeking more than $15,000 in damages.

Weaving is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for manslaughter.

According to prosecutors, the fatal crash occurred when Weaving passed a car at more than 80 mph in a 45 mph zone. Weaving asserts that he was driving at the speed limit. Weaving was previously convicted of drunk driving four times before the crash.

Source: The Boston Herald, Driver in fatal crash sues victim’s parents over boy’s lack of helmet
Continue reading

by

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

by

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority released dozens of documents related to the 2009 trolley crash that injured dozens of passengers and caused over a million dollars in estimated damage. The MBTA has blamed the train accident on driver inattentiveness, but the NTSB is still examining probable causes. Its report may not be ready for another several months.

According to the documents released earlier this week, MBTA workers said there was zero warning before the Green Line trolley slammed into the train in front of it, knocking passengers off their feet. The accident occurred in a tunnel between Government Center and Park Street on the Green Line.

The operator involved in the subway accident, who had been texting his girlfriend at the time, was initially charged with a felony, but his lawyers successfully argued against those charges. Prosecutors brought new charges of gross negligence against him, and he now awaits trial in Suffolk Superior Court. Here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the penalty for gross negligence is a fine of not more than five thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than two and a half years.

Source: MBTA driver: No warning in 2009 Green Line crash, Boston Globe, November 10, 2010
MBTA operators detail ’09 crash, Boston Globe, November 11, 2010 Continue reading

by

Icy road conditions may have played a role in several Massachusetts car accidents that occurred over the weekend. Police offers were injured in two of those crashes.

At about 6am Monday morning, Falmouth police officer Richard Everton sustained non-life threatening injuries when his cruiser spun out of control and flipped over. Everton was responding to a crash on Route 28.

According to a state police spokesman, a trooper sustained minor injuries in separate car crash in Millbury. Because icy roads create dangerous driving conditions, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Registry of Motor Vehicles recommends driving at reduced speeds and never locking your brakes when there’s ice. Also make sure that your fuel tank is at least half fuel to reduce the likelihood of it freezing.

Source: Several crashes reported on icy Mass. highways, Boston Globe, November 8, 2010 Continue reading

Contact Information
Cambridge, MA
Main Office
675 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: 617.492.3000Fax: 617.491.3299Toll Free: 800.481.6199
Boston, MA
675 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: 617.547.1205Toll Free: 800.481.6199
Needham, MA
250 First Avenue 2nd Floor
Needham, MA 02494
Phone: 781.675.2329Toll Free: 800.481.6199

Some Select Cases are referred to other attorneys for principal responsibility

By publishing this information on this Website, the Boston, Massachusetts law firm of Altman & Altman LLP is not claiming to represent any clients or cases mentioned here. The content provided is designed to inform readers and is not intended as legal advice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2025, Altman & Altman LLP
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design