Boston’s inner city, a district of narrow streets, centuries of design, and dense traffic, is a tough and sometimes dangerous place to drive, bike, or walk. Its narrow turn, one-way street, and dense traffic design places it among the more accident-prone areas of Massachusetts. Knowledge of the most frequent car accident situations of this city can make others more alert and awake. But in case of people involved in an accident, a visit to a boston car accident lawyer is most often the first step toward ascertaining legal rights and compensation.
Common Car Accident Scenarios
- Stop-and-Go Traffic Rear-End Accidents
- The most common car accident situation in downtown Boston is the occurrence of rear-end accidents. Boston’s stop-and-go traffic, particularly during peak hours, encourages such accidents. Regardless of the cause for a rear-end collision, distracted driving, tailgating, or brake checks, whiplash, soft tissue trauma, and in the case of some people more serious injury, is to be expected. Rear-enders are seldom the responsibility of the rear-end driver, but it is advisable to have legal representation to assess damages and degree of injury.
- Collision at Intersections and Failure to Yield
- Some intersections in Boston are poorly marked or oddly shaped because of the city’s original street layout. It creates confusion regarding priority, particularly if people driving are not familiar with the roads. That is why T-bone or side-impact collisions at intersections are common. Such collisions are devastating upon impact, especially when one vehicle collides with the side of another vehicle near the driver’s side or passenger door. Court cases regarding intersection crashes primarily comprise the Traffic lights controversy and the principle of the right-of-way, necessitating lawyers well aware of local traffic laws.
- Collisions Involving Pedestrians
- Boston is a walking city, and CBDs typically comprise enormous pedestrian flow. However, making pedestrians visible to oncoming traffic, particularly at intersections, subway stations, and areas of mass congregation, is a hazardous exercise for pedestrian collisions. The highest incidence of accidents occurs when drivers do not yield at intersections, turn incorrectly, or drive while distracted by mobile phones. Pedestrians have minimal protection and, therefore, the injuries are serious. The victims are eligible for rights and they have rights to get compensation for medical bills, lost time, and distress, and in such cases, legal services are likely to be needed.
- Bicyclist and Scooter Collisions
- Riding bicycles and electric scooters through downtown Boston is now extremely popular. Too many motorists don’t yield to these exposed, diminutive travelers on the road, though. Dooring collisions—when a bicycle is opened abruptly in front of a bicyclist—are also extremely frequent on streets with minimal bike lanes. Collisions involving scooters or bicycles are generally those which need to be scrutinized carefully, particularly given unclear fault or substandard injury.
- Rideshare and Delivery Car Accidents
- With an increase in use of service such as Uber, Lyft, and food delivery, downtown Boston has witnessed an increased number of ride-sharing and delivery cars. Most of them are driven by time constraints, thus most of the times drive under stress, engaging in reckless driving such as sudden braking, wrong parking, or lane weaving. These cars can also be subjected to sophisticated crashes by the parties involved, e.g., the owner, the company employing him, and insurance companies. Accident victims will then face a lengthy process of claiming and it is here that the services of a professional lawyer become useful. 6. Multi-Vehicle Pile-Ups
Since downtown Boston is highly populated and subject to unpredictability in terms of its weather, particularly during winter, multi-car pile-ups are common.
They occur more frequently on road shoulders that are too small or at busy intersections where one accident triggers a domino effect. Liability in such situations is normally hard to determine because there are so many motorists and they will all share some fault. It requires much investigation to separate the liabilities, and legal representation assists accident victims in obtaining a reasonable portion of available compensation.
Legal Options for Accident Victims
Following a motor vehicle collision in Boston’s business center, victims may be left with medical expenses, lost income, car repair, and emotional distress. Massachusetts is a “no-fault” state with regard to insurance, and thus following fender benders involving minor damage, both parties go to his own insurance company to be reimbursed. However, following collisions involving serious injury or substantial property damage, victims are allowed to opt out of the no-fault system and sue in tort for damages against the negligent party.
In order to effectively recover damages, negligence, cause, and damages need to be established—each involving documentation, affidavit testimony of witnesses, and frequently expert opinion. A Boston automobile accident attorney can navigate the courts for victims, assist in the maintenance of evidence, negotiate with insurance companies, and, if necessary, bring suit. Knowledge of local statute and knowledge of Boston traffic patterns can also work considerably in a case’s favor.
Zooming through Boston’s downtown streets takes more than care—it takes knowledge of the special challenges of the city streets. From a rear-end collision in stopped traffic to a fatal pedestrian collision off of a high-traffic corner, victims of accidents have rights to which they may be entitled. Therefore, a Boston car accident attorney can assist the defense of those rights and secure proper compensation after an accident.
HedgeThink.com is the fund industry’s leading news, research and analysis source for individual and institutional accredited investors and professionals
