Unfortunately, tragedies don’t take a holiday, and it’s unfortunate on this Memorial Day holiday weekend that two people have been killed in separate Massachusetts motor vehicle accidents.
A truck-pedestrian accident occurred in Newton today that resulted in a man being killed in that accident. Newton police are currently investigating the May 27 truck-pedestrian accident that killed 22-year-old Dennis Cassagrande of Rochester, New Hampshire. Mr. Cassagrande was reportedly hit by a pickup truck just after 3AM on Newton’s Nonantum Road. The truck was driven by 21-year-old Beau Dellicker from Mendon. At this point in time, no charges have been filed against Mr. Dellicker.
On the Cape yesterday in Dennis, Massachusetts, a 22 year-old woman was killed and a second person was seriously injured in a single-vehicle car accident on Route 6 East on Cape Cod. Massachusetts State Police reported that the car crash involved a Lexus sedan driven by a 22-year-old man from New York, who was transported to Cape Cod Hospital with serious injuries. The passenger in the vehicle, a 22-year-old woman, died at the scene. As of publishing this post, the victim has not yet been identified. According to preliminary police reports, speed does not appear to have been a factor in the crash.
As a Boston/Dedham car accident attorney, I always tell people to drive safely, carefully, and most important – defensively. Horrible accidents like this are what can result when the slightest distraction or inattention results: Death or permanent disabiilities. If you are a pedestrian, you also need to be extremely careful. Don’t take chances. Walk on the sidewalk. If you are walking or riding a bicycle when it is dark outside, make sure to wear light-reflective clothing that will glow in the dark and make you visible to motorists. Do NOT listen to an ipod, or wear ear speakers for sound, while walking or jogging.
Motor vehicle accidents like the two above are horrible, whether they happen in a city or on the highway. I’m always stunned when I’m down the Cape, and see pedestrians and bike riders walking and riding along the side of the road – especially on Route 6 – in Wellfleet and Truro, where there is no sidewalk, and where pedestrians are nearly impossible to see. I shudder when I drive by people walking and biking on the side of the road, in the evening hours, who I basically cannot see.
There is probably no more awful sound that that of steel and glass impacting another car – and worse, a pedestrian. If you – or a loved one – has been injured in a Massachusetts motor vehicle accident, you should definitely speak to a Dedham/Boston injury attorney, to explore your legal rights in claiming financial damages for your Massachusetts personal injury.