Drunk Driving in Massachusetts

November 25, 2015

Driver Charged with Criminal Offenses Following Fatal Mansfield Car Accident

According to a recent news article from My Fox Boston, a 67-year-old driver from Norton, Massachusetts has been arrested and charged with motor vehicle homicide and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs (OUI) after allegedly making “intentional contact” with another vehicle.

Authorities are saying the driver intentionally hit another car near an exit along Interstate 495. After this impact, the suspect allegedly hit victim’s car again and fled the scene of the accident. When the second collision occurred, authorities say the vehicle rolled over on the exit ramp, killing the victim. Continue reading

November 17, 2015

Seven-Car Accident in Stoughton Proves Fatal

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news report from ABC Boston, one man died in seven-car accident, which occurred early one Sunday morning in Stoughton. Massachusetts State Police troopers were first called to the scene of the deadly accident in response to a report that a pedestrian was hit by car.

While it is still very early in their investigation, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts State Police said an older Acura was driving north on Route 24 when it crashed for a reason that is not yet know to authorities. As the car crashed, an occupant of the Acura was thrown clear of the vehicle and then was hit or run over by six cars in a row. The victim was 21 years of age at the time of this fatal traffic crash, and he was from Brockton, just south of Boston. Continue reading

September 8, 2015

Massachusetts Man Allegedly Crashed Stolen Car While Drunk Driving

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news article from the Morning Sentinel, a Massachusetts man was arrested for driving a stolen motor vehicle while drunk and then crashing. Authorities say the 34-year-old defendant was heading northbound when another driver on the same road noticed he was driving in an erratic manner.

The other motorist called 911, because he was concerned about defendant possibly causing a serious car accident, based upon how he had been driving. A sheriff’s deputy responded to the dispatch, but by the time he located the suspect, the suspect had allegedly crashed. When the deputy arrived at the scene of the crash, he reports to having seen the suspect unloading things from the disabled vehicle and loading them into another car. Continue reading

August 7, 2015

Drunk Driving Accidents Involving Commercial Vehicles

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

While most drunk driving car accidents involved defendants operating a personal motor vehicle, some accidents involve an at-fault driver behind wheel of a large commercial vehicle, such a semi-tractor trailer or even a fully loaded dump truck carrying 80,000 pounds of gravel.

Large commercial motor vehicles take an extremely long time to stop, even under ideal conditions. For example, a loaded dump truck traveling at 55 mph would take more than a football field in length to come to a complete stop. When a driver is operating a large commercial vehicle and is tailgating a car in front of them, this is a recipe for disaster if the front car slams on its brakes. Continue reading

July 25, 2015

Sen. Chuck Schumer Pushes for National Vehicle Interlock Law

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A vehicle ignition interlock is a device that some states require to be installed on the cars of repeat drunk driving offenders. The device consists of a breath test tube in which the driver must blow before starting the vehicle.

Originally, alcohol interlock devices were only used prior to starting the car. However, it became apparent that many intoxicated drivers were having a sober person blow into the tube, so they could start the car before driving away. This is what prosecutors call a “blow and go.” Now, the device can alert the driver at any time, and he or she is required to blow into the tube again to keep the car running. There were many who were concerned this could result in a serious danger to the driver if his or her vehicle shut down in a unsafe location and would not restart, but the companies manufacturing the devices say they have designed their respective systems say they were made in a way that will not occur. Continue reading

June 25, 2015

Boston 4th of July Celebrations Too Often Capped With Drunk Driving

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

All over America, people are gearing up to celebrate the July 4th holiday with family, fireworks, cookouts and, quite often, booze.

Generally, there is nothing wrong with adults imbibing in a few brews at a gathering. But there is nothing patriotic about getting behind the wheel after doing so.

Consistently, the Fourth of July has been labeled the most dangerous holiday of the year in terms of crashes.This has to do with the fact that most people are off work, usually for several days at a time, it’s summer time and people are more apt to not only drink but feel obligated to travel to more than one destination.

June 14, 2015

1970s Actor David Cassidy Convicted of Drunk Driving

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Anyone who is old enough to remember the Partridge Family will surely remember former child actor and drummer David Cassidy from the popular television show. According to a recent report from The Boston Herald, Cassidy was sentenced following his plea of guilty to one of his charges of drunk driving.
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June 9, 2015

Alleged Drunk Driving Crash in Beverly Proves Fatal

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news report from CBS Boston, a fatal car crash in Beverly, Mass. was allegedly related to driver being intoxicated while driving. Authorities report an alleged drunk driver ran a red traffic signal and crashed into a pickup truck. This crash resulted in the death of a 45-year-old woman from Peabody who was a passenger in the alleged at-fault driver’s SUV.

The accident occurred late on a Sunday night on Route 62. First responders arrived, began to provide immediate medical attention to the passenger of the SUV, and transported her to a local hospital. Doctors were unable to save her as a result of the severity of her injuries, and they pronounced her dead later that night.

Authorities also say the 48-year-old driver of the pickup truck that defendant allegedly ran into was also seriously injured in the crash and was taken to the same hospital as SUV passenger who died in the accident. He was reported to be in critical condition.
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June 6, 2015

Marshfield Police See More OUIs Now Than in Past Three Years

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

While some national statistics show drunk driving incidents and arrests in somewhat of a decline, this does not appear to be the case everywhere, especially in Marshfield, Massachusetts.

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, drunk driving, when used in the criminal context, is actually called operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs (OUI) instead of the terms DUI and DWI, which are commonly used in the media and in other jurisdictions.
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June 4, 2015

Mom Allegedly Breastfed Child During Field Sobriety Test

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent report from Pop Sugar, police arrested a woman for drunk driving who was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol with her four minor children in the car.

Authorities say they pulled over the 33-year-old mother in Florida on suspicion of drunk driving. Officers noticed she had her four children – ages 4, 3, 1 and 2 months – in the car with her at the time or her arrest.

Police then asked her to submit to a series of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), and, while she was willing to perform the tests, she immediately began breastfeeding her newborn baby. While original reports stated defendant was breastfeeding her child while she was driving her vehicle, these accounts have since been corrected to indicate the breastfeeding occurred during the field sobriety test phase of her arrest process.
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