Boston Injury Attorney Blog

In Massachusetts on Monday, August 9, 2010, a pedestrian was hit and killed by a van in Norwood. The 51-year-old man was hit on Dean Street near the intersection of Washington Street at around 2:30 p.m.

Witnesses said he was hit by a van owned by the MBTA known as "The Ride", which take individuals to different MBTA stops. However, this particular van was operated by a private contractor. The 51-year-old victim was rushed to nearby Norwood Hospital, where he died.

Apparently, the van was just making the turn when the pedestrian stepped off the curb and collided with the van. The van was towed away, and the street has been reopened.

It is not yet known if any charges will be pressed against the driver of that van. Police are investigating the incident. The area is busy and congested, with two-way traffic, narrow streets, and a lot of pedestrians that need to cross.

It will be interesting to learn the outcome of the investigation which will likely rest on the attentiveness of the operator of the van.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Information Statistics, Massachusetts ranked 25th in overall pedestrian deaths according to FARS. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)

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According to the Boston Herald, a Dorchester woman who averted a Boston accident is being hailed a hero after she ran into traffic to save a 2-year-old child from personal injury who had wandered into a South End street. Apparently the toddler walked along Columbus Avenue for about a third of a mile at 5:30 p.m. She was following her 11-year-old autistic sister. Her sister was on a scooter heading to a park.

Driver Tammy Thompson spotted the little girl, as the child stepped off the curb. She parked in the middle of the street and jumped out of her car to save her. The cars coming toward her were actually swerving around the child, but no one got out to help. The toddler just kept walking. Luckily for the little girl, Thompson grabbed the child and pulled her to safety.

According to a police report, the girls wandered from their home on Warwick Street while their mother, Rory Johnson, 40, was at a funeral and their father, Lloyd Moore, slept.The state Department of Children and Families is investigating.

As there is no legal duty to come to the aid of one in need, in the wake of the recent news out of New York City where a good Samaritan was stabbed assisting a crime victim and left to die on the sidewalk, this story is heartwarming. Ms. Thompson is a local Boston hero, who no doubt prevented this little girl from becoming seriously hurt.

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According to the Boston Globe, on May 16, 2009, 18-year-old Jonathan Caruso struck and killed a woman who was walking her dog and seriously injured her daughter. After drinking at an all night post-prom party, Caruso was driving home and fell asleep behind the wheel. He then drove off the road and hit and killed 67-year-old Carol Marean and seriously injured her daughter. Caruso carried minimum automobile liability insurance, which does not cover the $400,000.00 in unpaid medical bills for the surviving daughter.

On March 23, 2010, he was sentenced to 2 ½ years in the Essex County House of Correction with 6 months to serve in jail and 4 years probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation. He will also be required to speak to 10 middle and high schools describing how he was responsible for Carol Marean's death. Judge Michael C. Lauranzano, who decided on the sentence, said the case was among the toughest of his 10 years on the bench.

Caruso was initially charged with operating under the influence, but those charges were dropped when a chemical breath test given two hours after the crash showed his blood alcohol level was .02, below the legal limit. A blood test performed 10 hours after the crash showed no signs of alcohol.

A victim impact statement by one of the deceased daughters said that Caruso knew that he should not have been driving -he told police he had 10 beers in the hours before the crash - but chose to do so anyway.

Continue reading "Boston Area Prom Driver who hit Pedestrians Sentenced" »