Boston Injury Attorney Blog

This morning, four Silver Lake High School students were injured following a head-on collision with a school bus in Kingston, Massachusetts. The teens were taken to the hospital following the car-bus accident. The car accident occurred on Chipman Way and Lake Street, near Silver Lake High School. Police stated that the small vehicle carrying the teens may have crossed the center-line and collided with the school bus. Fortunately, the school bus was not carrying any passengers at the time of the bus accident. Sadly, though, all four teens in the car were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Three of the teens were med-flighted and one had to be removed from the vehicle with the Jaws of Life. The bus driver luckily escaped any serious injuries in the car accident.

The Boston personal injury lawyers at Bellotti Law Group know that any car accident, truck accident, or bus accident can devastate victims and their families--physically, emotionally, and financially. We have decades of experience winning compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other accident-related expenses for victims and their families. Call us today at 617-225-2100 or toll-free 800-334-FIRM to set up a free telephone consultation. We have offices in Boston, Cambridge, and Quincy and practice in courts throughout the Commonwealth. You can also use our secure and fast contact form and we will respond right away.

Unfortunately, bus accidents are not uncommon occurrences, in Massachusetts and elsewhere. According to the latest study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 221 bus accidents in 2009 alone. What is perhaps most alarming, like this incident, is that 89 of these accidents involved school buses. There are many different causes of bus accidents, including the negligence of the driver, driver fatigue, poor weather conditions, driver fatigue, improper maintenance, and third-party negligence. Many potential parties are involved in a case, including the driver, owner, city or county, school district, maintenance company, and others.

In any event, the Boston personal injury lawyers at Bellotti Law Group know that there are many potential victims of bus and car accidents, including pedestrians, passengers, motorists, and bicyclists. Bus, car, and truck accidents often result in serious injuries and/or fatalities. Some of the injuries to victims include fractured bones, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and other catastrophic injuries.

Bus and car accidents are overwhelming for victims and their families. They bring about great physical, emotional, and financial distress. The Boston personal injury attorneys at Bellotti Law Group will help you pay your medical bills, recoup lost wages, gain compensation for pain and suffering, and allow you to focus on recovery. Call our Boston personal injury lawyers today at 617-225-2100 or toll-free 800-334-FIRM. You can also contact us using our contact form and we will respond right away.

A Wareham, Massachusetts bus driver has been fired after negligently leaving a Hammond Elementary kindergarten student on his bus for three hours. The child fell asleep on the bus and did not awaken until the bus was parked at the driver's home. Although the young child was unharmed, the driver was fired by the Wareham School Department for failure to follow safety protocols. Earlier this month, a Roxbury, Massachusetts infant was found alive after in a parked car after his mother left him alone.

Following the incident, a Boston woman was charged with criminal neglect of a child. Boston Police were contacted after a resident noticed the infant in the locked car near 2200 Washington Street in Roxbury. According to The Boston Globe, the officer found the infant "crying loudly and sweating heavily" inside the vehicle. The child was transported to the Boston Medical Center for treatment and was released. Tragically, a 17-month-old Dorchester child, Gabriel, was not so fortunate, when he was found lifeless in a Gloria Luna's Home Daycare van earlier this month.

According to the New England Cable Network, the daycare van driver was supposed to take Gabriel to another daycare, but apparently forgot the child was in the van. The young boy's grieving mother is now fighting for a new law, called "Gabriel's Law," which aims to prevent another child from being left unattended inside a vehicle. The proposed law calls for changes to child transportation regulations in the state. Part of the proposal is to prohibit dark tinting on transportation vans, so other people can see children left inside vehicles more easily.

According to Greater Boston personal injury attorney Peter Bellotti of the Bellotti Law Group, "There currently isn't enough legislation regarding child care and transportation protocols in Massachusetts. With more rigorous and detailed safety measures in place, we can hopefully avoid tragedies like this in the future."

Governor Deval Patrick has now created a special panel, charged with recommending improvements to current safety procedures in Massachusetts governing children transported to child care in vans and buses. So far, the panel has considered adding a signed route roster to all transportation to and from child care centers to track attendance. According to The Boston Globe, a more stringent accounting system is used to keep track of all children by the Executing Office of Health and Human Services in the state. As always, costs of improvements are being weighed, as the state currently pays around $9 a day per child for transportation, while the Department of Health and Human Services can pay upwards of $56 dollars. In all, new recommendations are set to be made public on October 11.

Continue reading "Massachusetts Child Neglect Cases Spark Push for "Gabriel's Law" " »

A 31-year-old Gardner, Massachusetts man sustained serious personal injuries and died after falling out of a tour bus window on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Another man, a 34-year-old from Winchendon, also fell out of the bus window and onto the road below. He was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center with a fractured skull and road rash. The Worcester District Attorney's office said in a news release that it appeared the two men were roughhousing in the back of the chartered tour bus, though there were no actual witnesses.

Massachusetts State Officials refused to comment further on the matter, as the investigation is ongoing. A detailed inspection of the bus window to find any apparent defects will follow. The bus was operated by Colonial Tours, of Natick, Massachusetts. It was traveling at 60 miles-per-hour when the men fell out of the window. The men were nearing the end of a "beer lovers' expedition," which is a 200-plus-mile roundtrip tour from the Gardner Ale House, with stops at the Wachusett Brewing Co. in Westminster, the Redhook Ale Brewery in Portsmouth, N.H., the Cape Ann Brewing Co. in Gloucester, and The Tap in Haverhill.

Bus accidents have unfortunately been occurring with unusually high frequency in Southern New England this spring. It is important to always choose a reputable bus company when traveling. Ensuring the driver is properly licensed and the buses have been inspected are also good ideas. Any concerns should be reported to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Continue reading "Gardner, Massachusetts Man Dies After Falling Out of Bus Window in Lancaster" »

A Boston, Massachusetts green line train traveling on the C route between Harvard Avenue and Winchester Street ran over a blazing fire on Wednesday night. The train was travelling on Beacon Street in Brookline, MA. MBTA General Manager Richard Davey, Jr. said on Thursday morning that no one was put in harm's way because of the incident. However, a witness who was able to take photographs of the blaze told the Boston Globe that he was shocked the trolley continued.

The incident took place around 7pm, a busy time of night for T travelers. It was unclear whether the fire began on the actual tracks or right next to them. Davey said he wished the operator of the trolley car had waited for firemen to control the fire before continuing over it.

There are approximately 2,000-2,500 accidents involving MBTA buses in Massachusetts annually, and of those 400-600 have been deemed preventable. In 2009, there were 221 bus crashes across the United States that involved fatalities, one of which happened in Massachusetts.

Continue reading "Brookline, MA fire does not stop MBTA Green Line train " »

According to Boston.com, University of Massachusetts students on their way to a ski trip in Canada sustained personal injuries in a bus crash on Decemer 3, 2010. Sixteen students were injured and the driver was hospitalized and in critical condition. The bus crashed in southern Vermont just before 4 p.m. Fourty-five people were on board, 17 were injured, and no other vehicles were involved. Luckily, all of the students were released from nearby hospitals by 9 p.m. and taken back to campus. The driver did not appear to apply the brakes as the bus lost control.

The bus was one of eight bound for a ski trip in Canada. Students on the trip said they had been told the driver had a heart attack. The crash occurred about 5 miles north of Exit 4 on a relatively flat, straight stretch of highway. Road conditions were dry and clear. Police closed I-91 southbound at Exit 5 immediately after the accident and State Police opened both lanes before 7 p.m. Rescue workers had to cut out the front windshield to extricate the driver who was taken by helicopter to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., where he was reported in critical but stable condition. Some injured students had concussions.

Apparently, the driver worked for the company for several years. However, the driver had a pre-existing heart condition, which the bus company should have known about.

Bus accidents involving any kind of personal injury are frightening to learn about especially with young students involved.

Continue reading "University of Massachusetts Bus Crash" »