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Personal Injury Law Firm Burns & Jain Injury Blog

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.

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Legalization of Happy Hour Fireworks Among Approved Ballot Question

Does anyone really miss happy hour? The practice of discounted drinks, special promotions, and 2-for-1 drinks was discontinued or banned in 1984 in order to reduce the incidence of drunk driving accidents. However, its return will be decided by Massachusetts voters in November 2022 along with 15 other proposals including legalizing fireworks, stricter voter ID requirements, and how ride-share drivers are to be classified.

Child Passenger Safety Seats in Massachusetts

Auto accidents in Massachusetts and throughout the U.S. are a leading cause of death for children to age 18. Many of these fatalities and serious injuries can be prevented for smaller children if they are safely and appropriately restrained in the proper child safety seat.

Massachusetts Traffic is Back- What You Need to Know

According to the state’s Highway Administrator, traffic is back on Massachusetts roadways. Whether that is a good thing or not depends on your perspective and whether you have returned to the commute you left behind over 18-months ago. If you are thinking of returning to that commute, consider that in 2020, according to a Texas A&M Transportation Institute study, Boston area drivers spent an average of about 50-hours in traffic. Boston was also ranked as the second worst in the nation for daily traffic delays.

Massachusetts Motorcycle Deaths on the Increase

Anyone who has ever ridden a motorcycle is aware not only of the joys of riding but of the risks as well. Despite public service campaigns alerting motorists to be aware of motorcyclists and to respect their presence on the road, fatalities caused by other motorists continue to occur. A troubling statistic is that in Massachusetts, we have experienced an increase in the number of riders and passengers killed in motorcycle accidents over the past year.

Middlesex County Jury Awards 26.6 Million in Woburn

Judges and defense lawyers in personal injury cases like to warn injured plaintiffs and their attorneys that juries are often stingy or conservative in their verdicts and to not expect large compensatory awards, even in serious injury cases. However, a jury in Woburn, Massachusetts recently awarded $26.6 million to a union steward who sustained permanent, life-altering injuries while on a construction site. With accumulated interest, the award was actually $45 million.

Massachusetts Spike in Drowning Incidents

With summer in full bloom and the lifting of many restrictions due to the vaccines, many Massachusetts residents took to the water for boating, fishing, and swimming. Unfortunately, and for whatever reason, our state has seen an increase in the number of drownings among children and adults. In May 2021 alone, there were 18 reported drownings.

Children Seat Belts and Motor Vehicle Accidents in Massachusetts

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), car accidents are the number one cause of death for children aged 1-13 in the U.S. Car seats or booster seats for children are a major preventive measure that parents can use to minimize the chances for serious or fatal injuries if your child is in a car accident. Fortunately, per a study put out by SafeWise, a family safety organization, Massachusetts ranked third in the nation for the fewest children killed in car crashes at 0.63 per 100,000 population. The best state or area was Washington D.C. that had no reported child deaths in traffic accidents for the years surveyed. The national average is 1.7 per 100,000.

How Ride Sharing Prevented Drunk Driving Deaths in Massachusetts

A new study confirmed what Uber and Lyft have been promoting for years—that use of their ride-share platform has had a noticeable impact on driving-related deaths where alcohol was involved in states like Massachusetts. According to a paper published in the Nationwide Bureau of Financial Analysis and co-written by UC Berkeley economist David Lucas, Uber directly saved 214 people who would have died in a drunk driving accident in 2019. This helped mark a 6.1% decrease in alcohol-related deaths from 2018 amidst a 4% decline in drunk driving deaths overall in the U.S.

Massachusetts Area Companies Merge to Boost Business of Tracking Drivers Behavior For Insurance Companies

Using driving behavior to determine auto insurance rates is not necessarily a new idea, but several companies in the analytics industry have brought that factor into a new focus. Two Boston-based companies who use an app to track driver’s behavior for insurance companies recently merged when Cambridge Mobile Telematics acquired TrueMotion. The new company will provide telematic services to 21 of the 25 largest auto insurers in the nation.

Massachusetts AG Calls for Improvements to Child Car Seat Safety Standards

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has joined with 16 other attorneys general and the District of Columbia to demand that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) draft certain safety standards for child car safety seats. In a letter sent to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and Steve Cliff of the NHTSA, the group urged the government to take “swift action” in addressing shortfalls in safety seat regulations.