Massachusetts car insurance policies and the rules governing them can be pretty confusing and complicated, particularly because the state requires your car insurance to be aligned with a “no-fault” system and also follow certain coverage limits.
The experts at the Bellotti Law Group, P.C., shall advise and explain you on how insurance policies work and shall assist you if you have any questions or concerns.
Understanding Your Car Insurance Policy
Anyone can get injured anytime and anywhere. A personal injury case could be the only way to recover the compensation you deserve if you or someone you love is injured in an accident. You may be eligible to get monetary compensation to deal with physical injuries, medical costs, loss of work, pain, and suffering, and damages to personal property if the negligent person causes the accident. You may need to contact a MA personal injury attorney to protect your rights immediately.
What are some examples of Personal Injuries:
Safe winter driving requires careful planning, which includes maintaining your car, carrying an emergency kit in case you are stranded, and learning how to cope with different driving conditions, such as black ice or driving around snowplows. You have to learn how to drive in the snow if you want to survive life in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts driver’s manual understands that on snow and ice, cars behave differently than in snowy and icy conditions. It becomes more difficult to turn, and it takes more time to stop. Besides practicing in these situations, when driving in winter weather, there are also things a driver must consider:
The risk of being involved in a serious Massachusetts car accident either as a motorist or as a pedestrian is always present. However, that risk is at its highest in the winter months. Between the months of December and February in Massachusetts, it snows almost a foot per month. While this may only be the result of a few storms over the course of the month, the result is that roads and sidewalks are often snow-packed or covered in ice.
The conditions can get so bad that recently a local news article reported that on a single day there were 130 accidents – most weather related – in Massachusetts and the along the border of New Hampshire. One of the biggest dangers of a Massachusetts weather-related accident is the likelihood that a single car accident will turn into a chain-reaction accident due to motorists’ inability to come to a stop.
Another news source described a recent accident that resulted in an oil truck tipping over onto its side. Evidently, following the accident several other cars became involved in subsequent accidents because they were unable to stop in time to avoid a collision.
Tragedy struck earlier this week, when a Massachusetts’ woman drove the wrong way on Interstate 495 in Middleborough, killing four college students. The four students who were killed were later identified by Massachusetts’ state police as Kraig A. Diggs, 20, Jordan J. Galvin-Jutras, 19, Jordan J. Fisher, 19, and Cory P. Licata, 18. The female driver, Valantein V. Burson, 31, was also killed in the accident.
On Monday, October 24, 2016, at approximately 12: 11 A.M., Burson, a Stoughton native who counseled troubled teens, was driving her 2011 Infiniti G7, south in the northbound lanes of Interstate 495. She then slammed into a 2003 Mercury sable sedan carrying the four students who were on their way back their Worcester-area colleges. As a result of the impact between the two vehicles, the teen’s vehicle burst into flames. All four students were pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading
On September 19, 2016, Middlesex prosecutors charged Bradford Casler, 55 , with two counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count of operating a motor vehicle so as to endanger following the fatal Sweet Tomatoes Crash in Newton, Massachusetts. Mr. Casler plead not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.
Mr. Casler was the driver of a vehicle that crashed into the popular pizza restaurant Sweet Tomatoes. With virtually no warning, patrons of the restaurant were unable to jump out of the way in time. As a result, two people, Eleanor Miele, 57, of Watertown, and 32 year-old Gregory D. Morin on Newton were killed. In addition, seven other patrons were also injured.
The Middlesex County prosecutor, Chris Tarrant, stated that witnesses reported that Mr. Casler was speeding on Chestnut Street and failed to brake as he crossed the intersection of Washington. Mr. Casler was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and had the disease for 27 years, but the State has stated that the do not believe his medical condition affected his ability to drive safely.
On September 7, 2016, in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, a mother and her infant child miraculously escaped injuries after the brakes in her pick-up truck failed, causing her to slam into three cars stopped at a red light. The mother and infant did not have any visible injuries, although these kinds of accidents could still cause concussive injuries that are difficult to ascertain until much later. In this case, both the individual driving the pick-up truck and the motorists who were hit due to the brake failure can bring a products liability claim against the manufacturer of the motor vehicle for the defective braking system.
Massachusetts’ state and local law enforcement have launched a statewide effort to stop and cite drivers who are texting while driving in an effort to combat accidents, injuries and fatalities caused by distracted driving. Last year 6,131 citations were given to distracted drivers. This was a huge bump from the 1153 given to drivers in 2011, which marked the first full year after Massachusetts passed its ban on texting while driving. Continue reading
A Georgia man and his wife recently filed a personal injury lawsuit against a teen driver, alleging that the 18-year-old high school student was driving while distracted and speeding because of a popular Snapchat speed filter. Their lawyers state that Snapchat was the critical factor in the accident as the teen was using a filter which clocks how fast the user is going. The Complaint, filed on April 19, also names the company Snapchat as a Defendant.
Distracted driving has become a huge issue in recent years. In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. In 2010 the research indicated that during daylight hours approximately 660,000 drivers were using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number which has not changed in the past six years.
Commercial buses and trucks, especially during the holiday season, are heavily relied upon by millions of travelers, as passengers and others on our nation’s roadways, to operate in the safest manner possible. Unfortunately, they are often the cause of accidents on our roads, injuring and killing passengers, drivers, or others. Policies implemented and data collected by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”), particularly the Compliance Safety Accountability program, help to recognize and quell any safety concerns and keep bus and trucking companies operating as safely as possible. Recently, the FMCSA has shifted their attention to commercial buses and truck safety. In doing so, by December, changes in their policy will be completed and implemented.
The changes will bring an increased attention to commercial bus and truck safety. Hopefully, this will result in less accidents and less injuries and fatalities for passengers, drivers, and everybody on the roads in Massachusetts and nationwide. According to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, data collected by the FMCSA and he policies they subsequently implement are essential in keeping our roads safe.
The Boston car accident lawyers at Bellotti Law Group know that commercial busses and trucks are often the cause of car, truck, and motorcycle accidents. Commercial buses and trucks should be safely maintained and operated. When a driver, inspector, manufacturer, or designer fails to meet reasonable safety standards, they should be held liable for their negligence and the damages they cause. Call the Boston car accident attorneys at Bellotti Law Group today if another driver’s negligence has caused you or a loved one injuries or a wrongful death at 617-225-2100. We won’t settle until you receive full and fair compensation from all liable parties.
Boston Injury Attorney Blog