The update regarding Massachusetts laws on seatbelt usage is that there is no update.  As it has stood since 1994 in most respects, all motorists and passengers must wear seat belts, however, law enforcement has no right to pull you over for your failure to buckle up.  To be detained by a traffic officer and be cited for not wearing a seatbelt, and to cite you for any of your passengers failure to be restrained, you must have violated some other traffic law.  This is known as secondary enforcement. If you are stopped for speeding or running a red light or for any other traffic code offense and the officer sees you are not belted, the fine is only $25.  You pay an additional $25 for each passenger who is not wearing a seat belt. 

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Receiving news that your child has been involved in an accident is a parent’s worst nightmare. The parents of four middle school aged children did get such news in a hit-and-run car accident that occurred in Stoneham, Massachusetts a few months ago.  Fortunately, none of the children were seriously injured. 

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What happens if your car is stolen and is involved in a property damage or even a serious injury car accident in Massachusetts?  Are you liable for the damages and injuries? What about the damage to your car?

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Hit-and-run accidents are among the most devastating and frustrating of personal injury cases.  A Massachusetts motorist causes an accident that severely injures someone. Instead of attending to the injured victim and calling 911, the motorist panics and flees.  It is difficult enough for a family to learn that a loved one was killed in an accident and that the responsible party has refused to take responsibility, but their grief is compounded if they feel that prompt medical attention might have saved the person’s life. 

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It is particularly surprising to learn that some people drink in the mornings.  Some may even do so as part of their morning routine before driving to work. Although you may think you are safe from encountering an intoxicated driver during your early morning commute, statistics show otherwise.  Unfortunately, the risk is especially acute in Massachusetts.

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A fatal hit-and-run accident this past September on I-95 South in Attleboro, Massachusetts, is still unresolved as police search for a white Cadillac Esplanade that a surveillance camera captured fleeing the scene.  Police also described the driver and reported that the subject vehicle might have front end damage and a missing headlight. The unfortunate victim was a homeless individual. Reports did not indicate if the victim had been walking on the highway, though the location of the accident would suggest that. Pedestrians are not allowed to be walking or wandering on interstate highways. 

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Following a 2018 fatal motorcycle accident that killed a Brewster man, the West Yarmouth driver who collided with the rider in the middle of an intersection was found not guilty by a jury of vehicular homicide by negligent operation but was found guilty of failing to yield.

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Last month, a 62-year old Woodstock woman was killed when she apparently lost control of the 53-foot truck she was driving that was transporting methane gas, a hazardous material, and crashed through a guardrail before the truck rolled onto its side.  Police were still investigating the incident to find out why the truck suddenly left the roadway on Route 2 in Orange. Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved. Read more

On October 1 at around 8:40 p.m., a Methuen man lost his life in a hit-and-run accident that occurred on Jackson Street in this small town of just under 50,000 located about 26 miles northwest of Boston. The decedent was reportedly getting ready to move his car to make room for a tow truck when he was struck by a passing motorist.  Police later found a vehicle about a mile away that had front-end damage and had it towed for further investigation. There were no further reports regarding the identity of the vehicle owner or if an arrest had been made. Police were canvassing the neighborhood and asking residents if they had surveillance cameras that might have captured the accident or perhaps that of a vehicle fleeing the scene shortly after it occurred.

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