Salem MA Personal Injury Law Blog

It is a sad reality that car accidents are incredibly common in America, and Massachusetts is not exempt. In fact, some reports note that instances of car wrecks are actually on the rise in our country despite years of a downward trend in these statistics. Car accidents can result in injuries and even fatalities, which means more people may be at risk than ever before.

Unfortunately, a recent car accident in Massachusetts highlights the importance of this issue. There, according to reports, two cars collided during the late evening hours on June 28th. From the details provided in the initial reports, it appears as if the collision may have been a head-on crash, as there was reportedly front-end damage to both of the vehicles involved. The reports state that when emergency responders arrived on the scene it was immediately apparent that the crash was serious.

Massachusetts roadways, like most other highways in the nation, are dangerous places nowadays. High-speed traffic, inexperienced drivers and others who are negligent at the wheel can make you feel like you achieved a major victory by safely reaching your destination. Drunk drivers are some of the worst menaces on the road. It's no secret that other people's poor choices to drink and drive not only costs lives but can also devastate the lives of those who survive their victims.

If you or your loved one suffers injury in a motor vehicle collision that a drunk driver caused, you may experience feelings of anger and frustration during recovery. That's understandable and quite common among those who have gone through similar experiences in the past. Proactively guiding your own path to healing may help you cope with your emotions. For many, seeking justice helps bring closure and makes some sort of sense out of a seemingly senseless situation. Beyond the driver, others may also be liable for your injuries.

There are a number of reasons why car accidents occur. This includes a driver's inattentiveness, intoxication, or drowsiness. One of the factors less commonly talked about is inexperience. Teen drivers, for example, have recently begun driving and are usually unable to anticipate a vehicle's reaction time and respond accordingly. This is why accidents involving teens are often more common than those involving middle-aged drivers.

However, when an accident is caused by the negligence of a teen driver, recovering compensation through a personal injury lawsuit can be difficult. The reason for this is quite simple: they do not have any financial sources. In Massachusetts, however, parents can be held responsible in a civil suit for their children's harmful actions in a similar way to an employer being held liable for an employee's actions. Even though not directly responsible, a parent can be held responsible.

With spring in the air, it may come as no surprise to Massachusetts' residents that May is National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Though it may seem to motorists that motorcycles are suddenly everywhere, the reality is that they only accounted for three percent of all registered vehicles on the road in 2016 and amount to only .7 percent of all miles traveled in the country.

Despite this, motorcyclists accounted for 13 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2016 and 91 percent of those were male riders. Since the vast majority of vehicles on the road are not motorcyclists, motorists rarely think about them and this is the problem. In a motorcycle accident, it is usually the motorist who violates the rules of the road. Motorists often don't see these riders, perhaps because motorcyclists are in a driver's blind spot, which, when motorists change lanes into a motorcyclist, is sometimes how they end up violating a motorcyclist's right of way.