Articles Posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents

It was yet another devastating bicycle accident in Boston, which has, once again, brought up all kinds of issues regarding whether motorists are too aggressive, bicyclists are too cavalier, and whether pedestrians also need to take greater care when traveling.

These questions all stem from the death this past Thursday of Christopher Weigl, a Boston University graduate student majoring in photojournalism. Weigl, 23 years old, was hit and killed on Thursday when his bicycle crashed with a tractor-trailer that was turning onto St. Paul Street in Brookline. The collision wound up shutting down the entire 900-block of Commonwealth Avenue on the border with Brookline, just adjacent to the BU campus. Weigl’s death marks the fifth bicycle-motor vehicle fatality in Boston so far this year.

According to Boston Police, Weigl was apparently doing all the right things – he was wearing a helmet and he was riding in a visibly marked bicycle lane. One of his roommates stated how Weigl possessed a great deal of common sense when riding his bike, that he had “a calm hand on the wheel,” and that he was never reckless.

It never surprises me, as a Wellesley car accident lawyer, how the most unlikely people can be involved in serious accidents and injuries. Early in my career, I long ago learned that economic or financial status is irrelevant to who can get injured in a variety of accidents.

If you were to hear about an alleged drunk driver that struck a car and caused the victim to suffer serious injuries, you would probably not think several of the facts that are present in this post. First, you might not suspect that the accused driver was from the wealthy town of Wellesley. Second, you probably wouldn’t guess that the driver is, in fact, a prominent doctor. And third, you never think that the accused driver was an acclaimed Emergency Room doctor at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, who won that hospital’s “Doctor of the Year” award in 2009.

But you’d be wrong on all points. Because that is exactly where Dr. Kristin Howard, 56, an ER physician at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, finds herself now. She was arraigned on Tuesday, November 13th, on charges of Massachusetts driving under the influence of alcohol, to which she pleaded not guilty. Very damaging to her plea, however, will be the fact that her SUV was caught on a surveillance camera, crashing into a car on a main road in Wellesley. The video demonstrates that Howard’s Subaru Outback, which drove wildly through the Whole Foods parking lot, became almost airborne upon leaving the lot, crossing a road and eventually crashing into a Mercury Marquis driven by 78-year-old Paul McDonald, whose car was stopped as he was waiting at a red light. He was sent to the hospital for two days with two cracked ribs and a leg hematoma. From what I saw of this Wellesley crash video, Mr. McDonald is lucky to be alive. An eyewitness said that Howard’s SUV was driving through the Whole Foods parking lot between 40 and 50 mph. Video footage that aired on CBS4 Boston TV (WBZ) on November 13 shows the doctor’s SUV speeding through a parking lot, completely uprooting a granite stone safety column, shaving the bark off a nearby tree, and then hitting – “T-boning” McDonald’s car at the intersection. Mr. McDonald’s car was then pushed into a truck. Dr. Howard was even wearing her hospital scrubs at the time of the incident.

Yesterday, a bicyclist was killed by a car driver in Wellesley. The victim was identified as Alexander Motsenigos, a Wellesley resident.

Mr. Motsenigos was hit by a car near the intersection of Weston Road and Linden Street, just before 2:00 PM on Friday. He was taken to Newton Wellesley Hospital, where efforts to save his life failed. Mr. Motsenigos was wearing a bicycle safety helmet when he was struck, police said. He was 41 years old. As of the time of this post, I do not know whether Mr. Motsenigos was married, had children, or other personal details.

Beyond the “God, that’s terrible” reaction this story produces, it gets worse. Much worse. According to Wellesley Police Department, this was a hit and run accident: The driver of the car that struck this man just took off – left him lying in the road, dying. That’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? Yet, on an anecdotal level at least, this inhuman behavior appears to be occurring with increased frequency. Just a couple of months ago, here in my own town of Westwood, a woman was hit and gravely injured on Washington Street, in the Islington neighborhood of town. The driver left her lying in the road, alongside her dog, which had been killed in the collision.

Sorry I haven’t posted here for a while. I’ve been taking some much-deserved time off at the Cape. So, back to work …

Today’s post is all about car-truck crashes, and the tangled web they leave in their aftermath. It’s safe to say that no one ever wants to be involved in any kind of a motor vehicle accident. But what can even be worse than a car accident, is a Massachusetts truck-car accident. Here is why:

A tractor trailer or “big rig” usually weighs 80,000 pounds or more. The average automobile weighs about 3,000 pounds. Now just imagine both of these motor vehicles crashing into each other on the Massachusetts Turnpike, Route 128 or a major highway traveling at 65 or 70 miles per hour – or even on a back road at 30 MPH. What happens can be horrific. The results can include devastating injuries to the brain and spinal cord, and of course, death. It isn’t pretty. More than 100,000 truck-car accidents occur annually. This should come as no surprise to people who drive on our nation’s highways, as these roads are always filled with big rigs. And these big rigs operate with many disadvantages. Due to their sheer size and weight, they can’t stop very quickly, they can’t turn easily and they usually have large blind spots behind them and to the side.

In my line of work as a Route 128 car accident lawyer, I see all too often the aftermath of Massachusetts car accidents. So I’m happy to report that starting on Friday and Saturday nights for the balance of this summer, the Massachusetts State Police will add 11 patrols to cruise Route 24 and also Interstate 195 every weekend from 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM. The reason: Those roadways have experienced a recent spike in motor vehicle accidents and even deaths during those hours. The increased patrols are an attempt by law enforcement to counter those injuries and fatalities. The extra patrols will cost about $125,000. Before this new arrangement, only three State Police cars have been on those roads during those times.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 drivers travel on Route 24 every day.

Six people have been killed in Massachusetts motor vehicle fatalities on Route 24 so far this year – that’s compared to just five traffic fatalities on Route 24 in all of 2011. Three of them occurred just this month, in July. Here’s a brief rundown of those fatalities. Angel Pina of Norton was ejected from her truck and killed on July 12 when her truck rolled over after one of its back tires had a blowout. Later, on July 15, Lisa Banat, who was traveling the wrong way on Route 24 – can you imagine that? – struck a pick-up truck head-on. The truck’s driver was also killed when his truck burst into flames. That’s terrifying to think of, never mind to actually witness.

If you’re a pedestrian, remember – in general, you typically have the right of way. And yet, many drivers don’t understand or know this principle, and last night in Westwood, a 26-year-old pedestrian crossing the street was seriously injured by a driver.

Jillian Belanger was struck by a car Monday night, June 18th, in Westwood, in front of Roche Brothers Supermarkets, as she walked her dog across the road near 400 Washington Street in the Islington section of Westwood. As a Westwood resident, I drive this road every day. It’s normally considered relatively safe.

The vehicle that struck Ms. Belanger has not been located, although surveillance cameras on Washington Street show a small white sedan driving down Washington Street towards Norwood, shortly after the incident that occurred around 8:52PM. The vehicle fled the scene without stopping, Westwood Police said Tuesday morning. Based on what I’ve been told about this accident by people in a position to know, the impact of the collision was severe, and the victim’s dog was killed in the accident. Further, the area is well-lit. The point: The driver who hit this woman would all but certainly had to have been aware of it. To hit a person with your car and leave them near death in the street, is pretty much beyond comprehension. I hope this driver is either found, or turns him or herself in, and fast.

I’d like to remind everyone out there to always wear your seat belt. As a Norfolk County car accident lawyer, I know that seat belts save lives, and it’s just plain foolish not to buckle up. Think about it – what is so awful about being held snug and tight by a seat belt, which you can always unbuckle if needed? And yet, too many people out there drive their motor vehicles and don’t do the smartest thing they can do to protect themselves against Massachusetts car accidents.

It’s unfortunate that two specific people could have heard these words, because there was a Wareham car accident homicide on Saturday night, in which one man was killed, another required the Jaws of Life, and Massachusetts State Police reported that neither driver was wearing his seatbelt.

Christopher Elicier, 43, was enroute to his night job at Taunton State Hospital when his car was allegedly hit head-on by another man, Phendy Pamphile, 26. For some reason, Mr. Pamphile was allegedly driving the wrong way on the northbound side of Interstate 495 in Wareham. Police said that Mr. Pamphile’s car crashed into Mr. Elicier’s around 10:20PM on Saturday night. As a result of the Wareham car accident, Mr. Elicier was ejected from his Hyundai and pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Mr. Pamphile was trapped inside his Lexus and needed the Jaws of Life to be removed. As of Sunday afternoon, he was listed in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital.

Whenever I’m in my car, and I see bicyclists on the road, I shudder. They invariably share the roadway with we drivers, and it’s always scary to pass them, because you never know when they might lose control of their bike and suffer a serious personal injury. Cyclists just seem so vulnerable out there, in the middle of the street.

This is exactly what happened this past week on the Bourne Bridge, where everyone should practice the utmost safety, both drivers and cyclists alike. Early Monday morning, a 56-year-old man was riding his bike on the bridge, when apparently, at the crown of the bridge, wind gusts are thought to have forced him to lose control of his bicycle. He fell into the path of a tractor trailer coming from the opposite direction, and was hit by the truck. Lucky for him, he did not die, because the majority of truck-bike accidents produce often fatal injuries. The cyclist did, however, suffer a serious injury from the Massachusetts bicycle-truck accident.

As a Boston motor vehicle accident attorney, I urge all cyclists and all drivers to always proceed with caution, lest you suffer an extremely serious injury. Cyclists should always wear bright, reflective clothing. At night, easily visible lights and flashers should be both on the bike and the rider.

Maybe it was the “curiosity factor,” but people still aren’t sure what happened in the string of car crashes that occurred on Sunday in Attleboro. Massachusetts State Police are investigating the incidents.

The first Attleboro car crash occurred around 9AM on Sunday near Route One, and involved two cars. They wound up in the woods along the highway, and one even caught on fire. Right afterward, another two-car accident in Attleboro happened in the same spot. Then, less than an hour later, another serious Attleboro car accident took place there, in which three people were taken to the hospital.

At this moment, no one knows what caused all of these Massachusetts automobile accident injuries. However, as a Boston-Dedham personal injury attorney, I know that when Massachusetts car crash injuries are caused by a motor vehicle operator’s negligence, you deserve to be compensated for the physical pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and economic harm they inflict on you. Even in moderate motor vehicle accident cases, I have represented Boston motor vehicle accident victims whose lives will never be the same.

As a Dedham-Boston car accident attorney, I’ve heard more than one story about a Massachusetts car accident that caused a fatality. And now, there’s yet another Massachusetts car crash that took the life of a young student who had just graduated from Yale University, in the class of 2012.

Marina Keegan was killed last week in a Cape Cod car accident that occurred on Route 6 in Dennis. She and her boyfriend, Michael Gocksch, also a member of the Yale class of 2012, were headed to Wellfleet, to the Keegans’ summer home, for a birthday party for her father. Apparently, Mr. Gocksch fell asleep at the wheel, and the car veered off the road, into guardrails on both sides of Route 6, and then flipped over. Mr. Gocksch was hospitalized, in stable condition, and was later discharged. State Police said that speed wasn’t a factor.

Apparently, the news of Ms. Keegan’s death went viral, as she wrote a newspaper column for the Yale Daily News. In her last column, she wrote, “What we have to remember is that we can still do anything.” The column drew a huge outpouring of grief and sympathy for the young graduate. Her ashes were to be strewn in Cape Cod Bay.