The Kickham Comment - Boston Accident Lawyer Blog
It’s a sign of the times. Too many people text on their phones while driving, and that includes Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority drivers, who man the trolleys in Boston.
Trolley operator Aiden Quinn admitted to authorities that he was texting his girlfriend, when the MBTA trolley he was driving in 2009 slammed into the back of another train in an underground tunnel in Boston, resulting in a very serious MBTA accident.
One of the passengers on that train, a Ms. Colleen Fyffe was so injured from this accident that she was unable to return to her job withDelta Air Lines at Logan International Airport. She was awarded $1.23 Million in financial damages from a Suffolk Superior Court jury. But the back story gets even more interesting: Ms. Fyffe’s case went to civil trial after she turned down a $100,000 settlement from the MBTA. And think about this – there have been about 24 lawsuits filed in conjunction with this crash, and most of them have been settled for an average of about $31,000 each. That’;s no surprise. Most defendants in Massachusetts personal injury cases offer very little to settle the case out of court.
It just goes to show you that if you have suffered an MBTA injury, it’s wise to take your case to an experienced MBTA accident attorney, who can make the best of a bad situation and do everything in his or her power to get you the optimal financial settlement that you deserve. And since plaintiffs in personmal injury cases are not charged any professional legal fees unless the attorney representing the plaintiff secures financial compensation for the plaintiff, it’s wise to consult a Boston-Dedham accident lawyer. Most Massachusetts bus or subway accidents produce very serious injuries.
As a sidenote, the trolley operator was fired from his job and pleaded guilty of negligence. The accident also prompted the MBTA to ban operators to use – or even carry – cellphones while they are on the job.
As a Boston and Dedham injury attorney, that ban makes all the sense in the world and I wholeheartedly support it.