Salem MA Personal Injury Law Blog

Man changing flat tire killed by plow-equipped pickup truck

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle posted in Truck Accidents on Thursday, February 14, 2019.

The tires on today's cars and trucks are well-made and seldom lose air unless they suffer a puncture. Nevertheless, most drivers in Massachusetts have suffered at least one flat tire while driving on a busy road. Changing the tire under those circumstances can be very dangerous, as a recent truck accident in Easton demonstrated.

Easton police said that they received a call about a pedestrian-vehicle collision shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Jan. 30. Witnesses told emergency responders that they saw a car stopped in the break-down lane on Washington Street and that the driver appeared to be changing a flat tire. One witness said that she heard the sound of the collision and that, when she turned to look, she saw a man lying at the end of her driveway. The injured man was taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, where he was pronounced dead. Witnesses also saw a pick-up truck that was equipped with a snow plow. Police believe that the truck - or, more exactly, its plow - struck the man who was trying to change his tire. The truck driver stopped and appeared to be cooperating with police.

Kidney removed from wrong patient; lawsuit follows

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle posted in Medical Malpractice on Thursday, February 7, 2019.

Anyone who has recently received medical care from a variety of health care providers has been asked to provide a birth date and middle name. This practice can become tiresome, especially if the information must be provided several times on the same day. A recent case in Boston in which the critical identifying information was not requested shows how important this tiresome process can become.

A man was admitted to the urology department of St. Vincent Hospital for treatment of blood in his urine. The surgeon had not examined or treated the man, but he had looked at a CT scan bearing the patient's name before talking to the patient. The surgeon told the patient that one of his kidneys had a large malignant tumor and that it must be removed immediately. The surgeon also told the man that his life expectancy was probably less than five years. The surgeon proceeded to remove one of the man's kidneys.

Rear-end collision on I-95 kills two, injures three

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, January 31, 2019.

Rear-end collisions on an Interstate Highway do not always produce catastrophic results. Ordinarily, both vehicles are traveling in the same direction, their relative speeds are low and the impact does not generate a lot of energy. Some rear-end car accidents can, unfortunately, produce serious injuries or even deaths under certain circumstances. A two-vehicle collision on I-95 near Attleboro recently killed two people and injured three more.

A Hyundai was traveling south on I-95 at 1:25 a.m. when it was struck from behind by a Kia. The Hyundai was carrying five individuals, including the driver. The driver was the only person in the Kia. According to police, the Kia was traveling at a high rate of speed when its driver lost control of the vehicle. The Kia struck the Hyundai in the rear, killing one of the three persons riding in the back of the Hyundai. The driver of the Kia was also killed in the collision. The medical conditions of the passengers and driver in the Hyundai have not been disclosed, but if the impact was sufficient to kill one person, the other passengers more likely than not suffered serious injuries.

A beginner's guide to Massachusetts workers' compensation

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle posted in Workers' Compensation on Thursday, January 24, 2019.

Most residents of Salem are aware of the Massachusetts workers' compensation system, but very few understand how the system operates. This post will provide an overview of the essential features of the Massachusetts' workers' compensation system.

The basic principle is simple: all workers who suffer an injury or illness that is related to their job are entitled to financial benefits paid by their employer. The families of workers who died from a work-related illness or injury are entitled to survivor's benefits. A worker must be totally or partially disabled for at least five calendar days in order to file a claim for benefits. A worker must file the claim within four years of the date of injury or realization that the illness or injury was work-related.

Staying safe on winter roads

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.

Having lived in Massachusetts for many years or possibly even your entire life, you are no stranger to winter weather. Still, you may land on either end of the spectrum when it comes to whether you love or hate such weather. Of course, no matter how you feel about it, you may still find yourself having to get out on the road in snowy or icy conditions.

Even though you are not new to the state and may consider yourself a good driver, it still pays to understand how to stay safe on the road in winter conditions. This information could help you avoid causing an accident that could cause injuries to you or others.

Massachusetts nursing home cited for poor patient care

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle posted in Medical Malpractice on Thursday, January 17, 2019.

Many Massachusetts residents look to nursing homes as places of refuge and supporting care. Unfortunately, not all nursing homes deliver on this promise. The Sweet Brook Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Williamstown, Massachusetts has recently been cited by both former patients and government regulatory officials as failing to provide adequate care to residents.

One former patient accused the nursing home of allowing him to sleep under urine-soaked blankets without making any effort to supply fresh bedding. Another ex-patient said that he was not bathed even once during his one-month stay in the home. Both men said they still suffer from disabilities that were caused by the nursing home's negligence. One of the men is diabetic, but he says that he never received food that was appropriate for his illness.

Speeding car strikes apartment building, ignites fire

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, January 10, 2019.

Most car accidents involve only other vehicles. Occasionally, however, vehicles leave the roadway and strike objects or buildings that are near the right of way. A car accident involving an apartment building fire occurred recently in Fall River, when a vehicle hit the side of a three story apartment building.

The accident happened at about 9:30 a.m. A car traveling at a high speed left the street and crashed into the apartment building. The vehicle traveled about 15 feet into the interior of the building. The car apparently struck one or more natural lines that served the apartment building and ignited a fire. The 72-year-old woman who was driving the car was killed in the collision, and her passenger was taken to a nearby hospital. The woman died at about noon on the day after she was hospitalized. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

Roofer dies in fall down elevator shaft

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle posted in Workers' Compensation on Friday, January 4, 2019.

Any time a construction worker is required to work either above the ground or below it, the risk of death or serious injury greatly increases. The bereaved family of a Haverhill construction worker learned this sad lesson when their husband and father died in an unexplained fall down an elevator shaft.

The police were called to the site at 10:20 a.m. on December 18 when co-workers discovered the body of a roofer at the bottom of an elevator shaft in a building undergoing renovation. The exact cause of the fall was unknown, but investigators for the Essex State Police Detective Unit and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were on the scene delving into the accident. The building is located at 98 Essex Street in Haverhill. The building is being remodeled to create 62 units of residential space and related commercial space.

Big rig roll-over kills driver, seriously injures another

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle posted in Truck Accidents on Thursday, December 27, 2018.

Anyone who travels Massachusetts' modern highway system with any frequency sees a large number of semi-trailer trucks hauling many different kinds of loads, from building materials to machinery to liquids. These vehicles travel at high speeds and often pose a hazard to other drivers. A recent truck accident on Highway 24 near Fall River appears to have been caused by the rollover of a semi-trailer tanker truck.

The accident occurred at about 5:15 a.m. on Route 24. The tanker truck rolled over, and its driver was killed. The tanker truck hit another vehicle, and that driver was hospitalized with serious injuries. The driver of the truck was 67-years-old, but no additional information has been released about him. The injured driver was hospitalized in a Rhode Island hospital.

Did you receive substandard care in a Massachusetts hospital?

On behalf of Law Office of Colonna & Doyle on Monday, December 24, 2018.

When you seek medical treatment, you expect your doctors to be able to help you heal. Like all Massachusetts patients, your ultimate hope is that when you leave the hospital, you'll be on the road to a full recovery.

Since all medical procedures include inherent risk, it is critical that your doctor or surgeon (or both) talk to you ahead of time to explain any procedures or care you are going to receive and any known risks associated with it. The licensed care providers entrusted with your care are also obligated to take appropriate action to resolve problematic situations that arise that place you at risk for injury.