Boston Injury Lawyer Blog

In the Boston suburb of Lowell, Massachusetts, a University of Massachusetts study has found a link between the number of certain kinds of freedoms that states allow and the rate of deaths by unintentional injury or accidents. Boston injury attorney Thiadora Pina notes that the Law office of Neil Burns promotes safety concerns and issues because "following safe practices is a fundamental component of injury to law. We look to the unsafe condition when a case involves personal injury."

The issue the University study suggested was the fact that a person is less likely to die in an accident if his or her state has laws governing things like seatbelt and tobacco use. The ranking took into account laws regulating the use of seatbelts, motorcycle and bicycle helmets, alcohol, tobacco, fireworks, firearms and cell phones while driving, according to the study.

Continue reading "Massachusetts Ranked 44th in State Safety Study" »

Sitting in Boston, the Massachusetts Senate passed a safe driving legislative package that bans texting while driving, requires elderly drivers to submit to license testing, and prohibits junior operators from both texting and talking on a cell phone while driving. The attorneys at the Law Office of Neil Burns have represented hundreds of plaintiffs injured as a result of unsafe driving.
The State Senate's legislation makes texting a primary offense, which means a driver can be pulled over specifically for texting while driving. It also establishes a fine of up to $200, two years in jail, or both for anyone who causes an accident while texting and driving.

The bill also prohibits "junior operators," or those under the age of 18, from both texting and talking on a cell phone while driving; and operators of public transit, including the Massachusetts Bus and Transit Authority and school buses - are prohibited from any use of cell phones, except in the case of an emergency.

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Boston's Big Dig tunnels are being called into question regarding safety whereas accidents involving the tunnel's handrails have been linked to the deaths of seven Massachusetts residents.
Boston car accident attorney Neil Burns notes that safety is such an important issue because, "car accidents and injuries are usually the result of an unsafe situation." Because of the safety issue, Massachusetts State Senate President Therese Murray called for a review by the state Department of Transportation which oversees the tunnel system.

The Boston Globe reported on February 14, 2010, that seven of nine people killed in crashes in the Big Dig tunnel system between 2004 and 2008 died after hitting the handrails. In fact, the rails are the subject of a lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court by the widow of state Trooper Vincent Cila, who died in 2005 after he struck a handrail post in a motorcycle crash, breaking his neck and losing an arm. The posts of the handrail system have edges which the suit claims can act like blades in a paper cutter. The defendants in the suit, which includes Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff and the state Turnpike, insist in filings that the handrails meet all applicable state, federal, and industry guidelines.

Continue reading "Boston Big Dig Tunnel Safety Questioned" »