Your browser (Internet Explorer 7 or lower) is out of date. It has known security flaws and may not display all features of this and other websites. Learn how to update your browser.
We have been practicing law in Boston and throughout Massachusetts since 1985. I have represented clients in District Courts, Superior Courts, the Appeals Court, Housing Court, Probate Courts, Federal Bankruptcy Court and the Federal District Court.
A recent fatal hit-and-run accident in Chelsea, Massachusetts in early July 2020 brought home the sobering reality that irresponsible and reckless drivers still roam our streets. Sometime after midnight, a male pedestrian in his 40’s was struck and killed on 6th and Walnut Street. The driver fled the scene only to be apprehended a few hours later in Peabody. The suspect was identified as a man in his 20s.
In early July, a 21-year old Plymouth man suffered fatal injuries in a multi-car crash on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westfield. The accident occurred around 3:00 p.m. when three vehicles initially collided in the westbound lanes at the 39.6-mile marker, not far from the Exit 3 turnoff. None of the occupants at this point were seriously injured until a 2003 Peterbilt heavy tow truck approaching the crash scene rear-ended one of the stopped vehicles, a 2005 Nissan Altima driven by the unfortunate 21-year old Plymouth man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Although a number of auto insurers have voluntarily reduced their rates for the past two months, Massachusetts State Attorney General Maura Healey recently sent an open letter to letter to Insurance Commissioner Gary Anderson imploring him to ask all auto and business insurers to a drop their premiums. The number of accidents since the state implemented its lockdown have substantially decreased with Massachusetts experiencing a 50% to 55% drop in traffic levels. Accidents in many states are down by 50% or more. With fewer cars on the road, the risk for accidents has drastically fallen.
Recently, a 65-year old Athol man suffered fatal injuries following a motorcycle crash on Northfield Road in Warwick, Massachusetts. His wife, a passenger, was seriously injured but was recovering at UMass Memorial. Authorities stated it was a single vehicle accident but were unable to confirm the cause of the accident. Apparently, they have not ruled out the possibility that another vehicle was involved that left the scene of the accident or that some road or mechanical defect contributed to the accident.
If there is anything positive to be said about the pandemic, it might be that at least one study is touting the substantial decrease in traffic crashes and fatalities in Massachusetts and other states since mid-March of this year. AutoinsuranceEZ, a company that studies and publishes information for consumers on insurance companies, released a study showing that numerous cities and states have reported dramatic reductions in overall crashes and fatalities. According to the authors, Seattle has experienced a 100% drop in fatal accidents, Massachusetts a 75% decrease, and Los Angeles a decline of 51%.