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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.
A mid-March motorcycle accident in Haverhill, Massachusetts involving a pickup truck left the motorcycle rider in serious condition and the pickup driver charged with DUI, possession of a Class B drug (cocaine), and leaving the scene of an injury accident among other possible charges. Police reported that the pickup driver had refused a breath test, though officers noted the distinctive odor of alcohol on her breath and numerous open containers of beer and other alcohol in the truck.
Unfortunately, people are killed every day in car accidents around the country, but those tragedies are compounded when those killed are teenagers who have yet to make their mark in the world. In early March, a 17-year-old was killed in a rollover accident on I-93 in Canton, Massachusetts when the driver of the Jeep Wrangler, also a 17-year-old, apparently tried to cross over several lanes of traffic to get to an exit. His vehicle struck a Toyota Corolla on the ramp that caused the Jeep to roll over, ejecting the decedent who was a rear-seat passenger. He later died of his injuries at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton.
Construction work has long been recognized as a dangerous occupation, but a recent spate of work-related injuries has had Massachusetts safety advocates concerned. In early March of this year, a Needham man working on a new public safety headquarters at Chestnut and School Streets slipped and fell 15-20 feet into a pit. Although he did not sustain life-threatening injuries, other construction workers in recent months have not been so fortunate.
When the implications of the pandemic became all too clear and states and municipalities began to issue stay-at-home orders, many businesses closed or sent their employees home to work remotely. The impact on Massachusetts roads and highways became evident with the commensurate decrease in traffic. Anyone who drove on a major highway during rush hour could not help but notice that traffic volume was down considerably.
In an effort to address the increasing incidents and fatalities at railroad crossings in five states, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that $40 million in grants were to be awarded to the states of Washington, California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. An eligibility factor was that the commuter authority in that state must have experienced at least one accident at a railway-highway crossing that was investigated and reported on by the National Transportation Safety Board between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2018.