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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.
If you live in rural areas, or even in many suburbs, the risk of encountering a deer or other large animal like a moose suddenly in your headlights is very real. In Massachusetts, the chances are 1 in 469 that you will come upon a deer on a suburban or rural roadway. According to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, there are between 7,000 and 10,000 car accidents in our state each year involving deer, though it is rare for anyone to be killed in such accidents. There is no reporting requirement if you do have a deer accident so exact numbers are unavailable.
Fatigue is a consistent factor in many road accidents. There are few of us who drive who can say that we have never felt so tired while driving that we considered pulling off to the side of the road to rest or turned the radio volume up to ward off sleep. Fatigue is often a problem for over the road truckers who log many hours in their cabs and are under pressure to keep to tight schedules.
Car accident injury claims are one of the most common types of personal injury claims and lawsuits that are filed, but one involving a police vehicle are less common. This is primarily because police officers perform a vital public safety function and liability on their part can be difficult to prove. For instance, when an officer is responding to an emergency or urgent call, the vehicle’s siren and flashing lights are a warning to motorists to pull over and to allow the vehicle to pass, much like an ambulance or fire truck. In many instances, motorists ignore the obvious signals and fail to stop or take any action to avoid interfering with the officer responding to the emergency.
Hit-and-run accidents are among the more repugnant acts that a responsible motorist can do. Shirking or evading responsibility is abhorrent, especially if someone has been physically injured as a result. To underscore this, an August, 2018 hit-and-run accident involving a Dorchester man left a pedestrian critically injured at Dorchester Avenue. The motorist fled the scene; fortunately, transit police witnessed the accident and gave chase. At the intersection of Adams and Beaumont, the culprit’s vehicle smashed into 3 parked vehicles and the man fled on foot, allegedly discarding a weapon as police gave chase. He was soon apprehended.
There are numerous hazards on roadways that motorists need to be cautious of and to take reasonable and commonsense steps to avoid by driving defensively. For instance, be aware of weather conditions to avoid losing control on a slippery surface, do not tailgate, share the road with bicyclists, stop for pedestrians, and be wary of slow-moving vehicles or malfunctioning traffic signals. But there are hazards that you cannot plan for such as debris in the roadway.