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On Tuesday morning, a Western Massachusetts school bus accident injured seven children when the bus was rear-ended by another vehicle. The traffic accident occurred around 8:30am in the town of Longmeadow.

According to the Longmeadow police lieutenant, the bus was en route to Curtis Blake Day School in Springfield and had stopped at a red light on Converse Street, then began to move again when it stopped suddenly to avoid hitting a pedestrian still in the crosswalk. The vehicle behind the bus rear-ended it. The bus driver and the people in the car were not injured, but all seven children were taken to Bay State Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.

According to the Massachusetts Office of Health and Human Services, almost half a million Massachusetts students ride school buses each year and accidents are rare. Most bus-related injuries occur with pedestrians who are entering or exiting the bus.

Sources: Seven children injured in W. Mass. school bus crash, Boston Globe, October 5, 2010
School Bus Safety Fact Sheet, Mass.gov Continue reading

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On Wednesday morning, a Hyde Park man was involved in a car accident that took his life. The 32-year-old man was driving a 1993 Infiniti sedan when the vehicle reportedly crashed into a concrete barrier, flipping over and landing on its roof between two toll booths on Interstate 95.

State police freed the accident victim from his vehicle by cutting his seat belt. Authorities believe speed was a factor, but as of late Wednesday evening, they were still investigating the car crash.

Auto insurance companies typically handle single-vehicle accidents differently from accidents involving several vehicles. In this case, the driver unfortunately did not survive the accident, but in cases where the driver does survive, they are typically assumed to be at fault because no other vehicles were involved. However, in some cases, an investigation and witnesses might prove that the driver swerved to avoid another vehicle or a pedestrian.

Source: Driver killed in crash at Hampton tolls identified, Boston Herald, October 7, 2010 Continue reading

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The driver involved in a Massachusetts car accident on Route 8 that killed a 29-year-old Tolland woman has been sentenced. The crash occurred in March 2009 when the driver, a 48-year-old Connecticut woman who was found to be operating under the influence of alcohol, collided head-on with the victim’s vehicle.

After pleading guilty to charges including motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol, she was sentenced to six to ten years in prison for drunk driving. Because she apologized to the family of the victim and has no prior record, her lawyer requested a lighter sentence.

Here in Massachusetts, defendants found guilty of vehicular homicide while operating under the influence are subject to mandatory jail time. The passage of Melanie’s Law means stricter penalties on drunk driving, including a mandatory minimum of two and a half years in state prison and a maximum of up to 15 years. Drivers may also have their license revoked and get substantial fines. Manslaughter by motor vehicle carries a minimum mandatory jail sentence of five years.

Source: Conn. woman gets prison time for fatal Mass. crash, Boston Herald, October 5, 2010 Continue reading

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Massachusetts’ text messaging ban went into effect last week. The goal of the ban is to reduce the number of auto accidents caused by distracted drivers.

However, according to research released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, texting bans don’t actually reduce the number of roadway accidents. In fact, in the four states studied by the HLDI, three out of four states experienced an increase in car accidents after enacting a text messaging ban. HLDI researchers hypothesize that this increase may be due to drivers who continue texting but keep their cell phones low and out of sight, taking their eyes even further from the road. Some also say that texting bans take the focus away from other important safety measures.

However, some safety officials say the ban can be effective when paired with strict enforcement. Here in Massachusetts, drivers caught texting while driving are subject to a $100 fine for the first offense and $250 (plus a 180-day suspension) for the second offense. While it’s too soon to tell if Massachusetts’ text messaging ban will prove effective, we’ll be interested in seeing how the issue unfolds.

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Just before midnight on Sunday evening, Ayer police received word of a single vehicle auto accident on Washington Street near the former Ayer fire headquarters. The car crash involved a 25-year-old man from Groton.

The driver, who was not wearing his seat belt, reportedly hit a telephone pole. He was found unconscious in his blue 2008 Mustang with what an Ayer police lieutenant described as “obvious head injury.” The Ayer Fire Department took him to Nashoba Valley Medical Center. He was later transported to Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston and was listed in critical condition as of Monday afternoon.

Authorities say they are still investigating the cause of the motor vehicle accident.

Source: Groton man critical after Ayer crash, Nashoba Publishing, September 27, 2010 Continue reading

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Last week, the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) released a report entitled “The Most Dangerous Crash Locations in Southeastern Massachusetts 2006-2008.” The list includes the locations with the highest number of pedestrian and bike crashes, road departure crashes, red light running accidents, and fatal collisions.

Topping the list is Plymouth Avenue and Rodman Street in Fall River, which reportedly had 125 crashes during 2006-2008. Intersections in Swansea and New Bedford also ranked high on the list with 114 and 85 accidents respectively. Fall River had the highest number of dangerous intersections with 16. Attleboro had 12 dangerous intersections on the list.

SRPEDD released the list to coincide with its Regional Transportation Plan, which is an analysis of existing and future needs of the regional transportation system.

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The intersection of Plymouth Avenue and Rodman Street in Fall River is number one on a new list of dangerous intersections in southeastern Massachusetts. According to the report, the intersection averages a crash every nine days.

The study was conducted by the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District. The data which was used was gathered from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The report found that one of the more serious problems plaguing the area is red-light runners. The number of crashes caused by drivers running red lights more than doubled between 2006 and 2008.
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This past Thursday afternoon, a motorcyclist sustained serious injuries when he was struck by a 2005 Nissan. The crash occurred at 1 p.m. at the intersection of Main Street and Forest Avenue in Brockton.

The motorcyclist sustained serious injuries to his left leg, which was pinned underneath the Nissan after the collision. The injured 23-year-old man was taken by ambulance to Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital and was then transferred to New England Medical Center in Boston.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the driver of the Nissan was traveling on Forest Avenue when he stopped at a stop sign and took a left, colliding with the motorcyclist. According to the local authorities, the Nissan driver, a 23-year-old Taunton resident, will be cited for failure to yield and operating a vehicle with a suspended driver’s license.
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On Wednesday afternoon, a traffic accident in Concord involved two school buses. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Massachusetts state police and local school and police officials responded to the emergency call after one public school bus rear-ended another bus.

The bus crash occurred around 2:20pm. One student passenger was evaluated for a suspected laceration and one of the bus drivers was examined for minor injuries. Each of the buses was carrying about a dozen students. One bus picked them all up and safely transported them home.

The scene of the accident had been cleared and traffic had returned to normal about an hour after the bus accident.

Source: UPDATE: Concord school buses involved in accident by Route 2, WickedLocal.com, September 22, 2010 Continue reading

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Two individuals were rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital following a car accident in Arlington. The accident occurred on Milford Road near Mystic Valley Parkway at approximately 7 a.m. Monday morning. Arlington firefighters arrived at the scene to find a 2001 Ford Crown Victoria taxi cab in a wooded area off of the road. The taxi cab was on fire and the flames were beginning to spread to the surrounding trees and bushes.

According to the Massachusetts State Police, the cab driver was traveling at a high rate of speed when his vehicle went off the road. The cab driver then struck another vehicle, a Toyota Camry, in the rear before completely losing control of the cab.

There was a passenger inside of the cab at the time of the accident. The passenger was thrown forward into the front seat of the cab and was inside of the vehicle when it caught fire. Luckily, an MBTA Green Line instructor saw the vehicle and pulled the passenger from the flame engulfed taxi cab. The cab driver was found lying by the side of Mystic River and was suffering from serious injuries.
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