Vehicle Accidents
SUV and Roll Over Accidents
Large and small trucks, SUV's, and other kinds of top heavy vehicles are often involved in serious motor vehicle accidents. Sometimes commercial truck drivers and other large tractor trailer trucks are operated negligently and can cause serious and even catastrophic accidents. If a smaller passenger vehicle is involved in an accident in which a large truck has rolled over, careful investigation of the case facts by an contact Worcester SUV and Roll Over accident attorney Peter Ventura is needed to analyze the many factors which can establish the truck driver's negligent operation. Some of the factors to be analyzed include...
Read the rest of this entry »Side-Impact (T-Bone) Auto Accidents
Side-impact collisions, also called T-bone collisions, refer to accidents in which a vehicle is struck on the side by another vehicle. Due to the biomechanics of injury associated with these accidents, these kinds of cases create great risk of serious injury because an occupant of the vehicle which is struck is generally subject to considerable forces in which an occupant is minimally protected.
While many newer vehicles have side airbags, some older model vehicles do not. Because of the potential damage to protective door and window structures in these accidents, vehicle occupants in this kind of impact often suffer significant if not catastrophic injuries. Many of these incidents occur at intersections and are the result of a driver's failure to yield at a stop sign or other traffic control light...
Read the rest of this entry »Rear-End Car Accidents
Rear-end accidents can occur because drivers may be under the influence of alcohol or not paying attention because they are using a cell phone or are texting. Even road conditions such as ice or snow can affect the ability of a driver to stop in a safe and timely manner.
The most common kind of injury caused by rear-end collisions are so called neurologic injuries. These injuries involve damage to neck muscles, tendons, and ligaments and are often diagnosed by medical professionals as sprains or strains. Similar type injuries can involve the entire back or spine and other joints. These injuries can be quite significant in that they may involve a stretching or tearing of muscles and ligaments which can cause pain and affect normal physical function. Under some circumstances, more serious injuries to spinal discs can occur, as well as other broken bones, and neurologic injuries which can cause pain, limitation of motion, and impair or affect quality of life...
Read the rest of this entry »Highway Accidents
- Speeding
- Unsafe lane changes
- Driver fatigue
- Driver distraction
- Drunk driving
- Road rage and aggressive drivers
- Faulty road way design
- Faulty roadway maintenance
- Weather conditions
Massachusetts highway collisions often result in serious injuries or fatalities, especially due to the higher vehicle speeds that are involved on such roadways. Such accidents require prompt and professional investigation. Under some circumstances, for example, if tractor trailers are involved, the investigative work performed and documents created by federal and state law enforcement and transportation officials will be important...
Read the rest of this entry »Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian accidents can cause serious serious catastrophic injuries and even death. Pedestrian accidents are complicated, however, because there can be many causes or factors as to why such an accident has occurred. Drivers of motor vehicles can be held accountable for the accidents that they cause and their negligence can be rooted in many factors such as:
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Failure to obey the speed limit or other traffic directives
- Driving drunk or recklessly
- Failure to adjust driving due to weather conditions
- Failure to take special account for the activities of children
- Failure to consider road conditions
- Failure to adjust for driver visibility limitations
- Failure to pay appropriate attention to traffic
Because of the weight and powerful force of all motor vehicles, pedestrians may suffer death or serious catastrophic injuries including brain injuries, fractures, spine injuries, and other serious injuries requiring extensive medical care. Attorney Peter Ventura has handled many pedestrian injury cases and can evaluate and assist injured persons in obtaining compensation for these often difficult and complex cases...
Read the rest of this entry »Hit & Run Accidents
it and run accident cases all involve the same common theme whereby an operator of a motor vehicle accident leaves the scene of the accident without identifying himself or herself. Ordinarily if an accident is caused by an identifiable driver who has insurance, a claim can be made against the driver's insurance company. However, if there is no identifiable driver and insurance company to pursue a claim against, an injured person nevertheless may have rights to compensation from his or her own automobile insurance policy which provides legal compensation for this type of risk.
Massachusetts automobile insurance policies provide hit and run accident victims with rights to compensation on the basis of the policy's uninsured motorist provisions; that is, a driver who hits and runs is considered an uninsured motorist for which an injured party's own insurance company can be required to pay damages...
Read the rest of this entry »High Speed Collisions and Speeding Accidents
Sometimes speeding is the sole cause of motor vehicle collisions, and quite often it is at least a contributing factor. Speeding affects a driver's ability to assess distances as well as the time it takes to perform a particular driving maneuver. Speeding also affects the space or distance that is needed to stop a vehicle. Speeding also reduces a driver's reaction time to avoid another motorist. Speeding also increases the likelihood of accidents on roads that are congested, as well as on roads that are unusually designed with difficult curves and grades.
By increasing the velocity or force of a vehicle, speeding contributes to greater severity of injuries. Even with technological advances such as seatbelts, head restraints, and air bags, the speed of a motor vehicle is highly relevant not only as a factor in proving liability for an accident, but in understanding the biomechanical forces that produce injuries...
Read the rest of this entry »Head-On Collisions
While there are a variety of ways in which a person can be injured in a motor vehicle accident, head-on collisions tend to be among the most dangerous and likely to produce catastrophic, if not sometimes result in a fatal car accident. Simply put, when two motor vehicles collide head-on, even at moderate speeds, the force and energy transfer can often produce serious if not devastating injuries.
In spite of technological improvements in motor vehicle construction, such as seatbelts and air bags, the injuries sustained can be truly life altering. Injuries caused by head-on collisions can include broken bones, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and even death. When one of the vehicles involved in a head-on collision is a commercial vehicle or large truck, because of the weight and force involved, the likelihood for serious injury is that much greater...
Read the rest of this entry »Drunk Driver Accident Victim
Damages caused by a drunk driver may include compensation for medical bills, lost earnings, as well as past and future pain and suffering. Passengers of cars driven by drunk drivers can also suffer significant injuries in an accident and passengers similarly have rights to compensation as well.
When drunk drivers injure or kill other people, drunk driving accidents need to be carefully investigated in order to determine whether or not persons or entities other than the drunk driver are responsible for the accident as well. Liquor stores, bars, restaurants, hotels, and other licensed business establishments (sometimes referred to as "Dram Shops") may furnish alcohol to persons who ultimately get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and cause an accident.
Where such business establishments can be shown to be at fault for enabling the drunk driver, they will be held legally responsible under Dram Shop Liability Laws. Under some circumstances, even private hosts or private parties who serve alcohol can be held accountable for a resulting driving under the influence accident. The Massachusetts civil justice system allows victims of drunk driving accidents to receive financial compensation for the damages they sustain in an accident which is separate and distinct from the penalties and punishment which the criminal court system can impose upon a drunk driver...
Read the rest of this entry »Cell Phone Use, Texting While Driving
Today, using a cell phone or texting is commonplace. However, evidence is overwhelming that drivers on cell phones or drivers who text are much more likely to have an accident. Drivers who are inattentive and distracted due to cell phone use and texting often cause catastrophic injuries as well as fatal car accidents.
Cell phone and texting-while-driving prohibition laws have been passed by many state legislatures across the country. In Massachusetts, even though there is a ban or prohibition against texting while driving, motorists who are over 18 years of age can nevertheless talk on a cell phone while driving. Despite this fact, talking on a cell phone while driving can be a major factor in causing an auto accident. Evidence that a driver was using a cell phone or texting while driving can be significant evidence of driver's fault and responsibility...
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