Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog

July 10, 2017

Ford Motor Company Named in Drunk Driving Accident Civil Trial

According to a recent news article from Courtroom View Network, a case in trial in West Palm Beach, Florida involves a car accident that resulted in the death of the driver and one passenger. Court records indicate that the driver and her friends had been drinking throughout the evening at a local bar.

On their way home from the bar, driver’s father claims a defect in the airbag ignition system caused the airbags to deploy after the vehicle struck a curb as the vehicle was traveling down the road. When this occurred, the driver allegedly lost control of 2003 Ford Mustang, crashed into a tree, and flipped over. As a result of this horrific crash, the driver and the front seat passenger were both killed. Continue reading

July 1, 2017

Boston Drunk Driving Accidents – Passenger Injuries

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Drunk driving is one of the strangest crimes, according to many judges who routinely weigh drunk driving criminal cases and civil lawsuits involving people who were injured. The reason they often comment during sentencing or verdict that it is a strange or unique crime is that is a crime that people don’t think about as a crime, even though it can, and often does, result in a death of an innocent person.

For example, most people who are living in Boston, fresh out of college, working as an intern or were fortunate to land a good job would never dream of stealing a candy bar from the corner store. This is understandable, as they have no reason to steal anything and are worried about the consequences if they did. If they were caught, they would be charged with a misdemeanor that would probably get dismissed, as it was a first offense under what the law in the Commonwealth, calls a CWOF. CWOF is short for continued without a finding. Basically, defendant pleads guilty, but the judge doesn’t enter a finding of guilty. If the person does community service and pays a fine, the case will be dismissed, and the defendant can truthfully say he or she was never convicted. Continue reading

June 23, 2017

Dram Shop Cases in Boston

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Massachusetts law provides in General Laws Chapter 138, Section 69 that “No alcoholic beverage shall be sold or delivered on any premises licensed under this chapter to any intoxicated person.”

This means that it violation of the liquor control laws to sell alcohol to a person who is already drunk. While that seems like common sense, and shouldn’t be that big a deal at first look, these 19 words have major implications in terms of a victim’s ability to recover from a drunk driving car crash in Boston.

June 15, 2017

Anti-Drunk Driving Ignition Interlocks and Prevention of Boston Drunk Driving Accidents

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There are many ways authorities try to curb drunk driving and the many related Boston drunk driving accidents. Police, government agencies, and organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) use public awareness campaigns that include billboards showing the consequences of drunk driving, and they also create and air public service announcements on television and radio.

However, in addition to public awareness, MADD also lobbies for stronger drunk driving penalties, including the use of a breath alcohol ignition interlock device (BAIID). A BAIID is installed in the car of a convicted drunk driving offender at the expense of defendant. This is one area that has caused some pushback, as they typically cost a few hundred dollars to install and then between $50 and $100 a month to monitor, and many defendants claim they can’t afford this. Continue reading

June 14, 2017

DUI “Sleeper” Cases in Boston

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In some cases, a person realizes they are too drunk to safety drive home, but they have no place else to go. In some cases, the intoxicated person will try to “sleep it off” in their car. In other cases, a person will try to drive home and realize they can’t make it home safely, and they will pull over and then try to sleep. In other cases still, some drivers will simply fall asleep behind the wheel. This can happen while driver is stopped at a traffic light, or while the car is in motion. Both of these examples can result in a drunk driving car crash with serious personal injury or death.

What many people may not realize is that when you stop your car and fall asleep while the car is in a travel lane, or otherwise obstructing traffic, this is drunk driving, and you would be responsible for any personal injury that results from a car accident involving your car, assuming the location of your car caused the accident. Many people also do not realize you can get arrested for drunk driving even if you are asleep when the police arrive, so long as you are in physical control of the car at the time. Continue reading

June 13, 2017

Former NBA Player and Coach Derek Fisher Arrested Following Alleged Drunk Driving Car Crash

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Car accidents in Boston happen all the time. In most cases, they are a result of the negligence on behalf of at least one driver. There are cases where it is not the driver’s fault, but they are still the result of negligence. In these cases, we are dealing with a vehicle that was defectively manufactured or repaired, or perhaps a traffic light that malfunctioned. Again, most accidents are due to the negligence of a driver.

While any car crash can be dangerous or even deadly, drunk driving car accidents tend to involve more serious personal injury and fatalities, due to the extreme degree of bad or reckless driving we tend to see. Drunk drivers are often in the wrong lane of travel, where they hit other cars in a head-on manner, causing substantial impact. We also tend to see more rollover crashes with drunk driving. Continue reading

June 11, 2017

Preventing Drunk Driving Car Accidents in Boston

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Drunk driving accidents often result in serious personal injury or death. While the police are out on the roads to find and arrest drunk drivers before they cause an accident, it is difficult for them to catch everyone, and they are often left responding to an accident rather than preventing one, due the vast number of drunk drivers on the road.

Sometimes we are driving, and we see a car that is swerving or weaving, and we assume that driver is drunk or something else is wrong with him or her. A recent article from The Daily Courier discusses what you should do if you see a suspected drunk driver and what you should not do. Continue reading

June 9, 2017

Drunk Driving Accidents and Impaired Judgment

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

There is no question that drinking to the point of intoxication and driving is dangerous. It is also illegal. There are a variety of reasons why it is dangerous to drive while drunk. On the one hand, it can affect your ability to physically operate a motor vehicle safely. Those who are drunk have impaired motor functions, for one. This means it is physically difficult to operate the controls in a coordinated manner.

In addition to loss of gross and fine motor skills, drinking to point of intoxication can cause blurred vision, making it difficult to see clearly and accurately judge distance. This also makes it dangerous to operate a car. In terms of mental acuity, when a person is intoxicated, they will have difficulty processing information quickly and reacting to ever-changing stimuli we all face when driving a car in traffic.

One might wonder what someone must be thinking to take the risk and drive drunk. For one man recently arrested for DUI while dressed as the Tin Man from “Wizard of Oz,” it may have been, “If I only had a brain.”

June 7, 2017

Passengers in Single-Vehicle DUI Crashes Must Weigh Legal Options

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In single-vehicle DUI accidents, passengers’ only recourse may be to file claims for damages with the insurance company of the driver. If claims are denied, they may need to sue the driver. Some are loathe to do this because the driver is a friend or family member. The truth of the matter is such claims are not personal. While the named defendant is a loved one, you’re ultimately seeking payment from the insurer.

In one recent single-vehicle drunk driving accident, a woman had crashed into a cluster of trees. According to a recent news article from the Newton Patch, Taunton Police soon learned the circumstances involved in this particular drunk driving car accident were far from ordinary.

Authorities say they arrived on the scene and found a woman leaning against a wrecked 1999 Mercedes C Class. The car was allegedly on the lawn of a home and in between a small stand of trees. There was a man sitting in the driver’s seat attempting to restart the crashed car. He was not the driver at the time of the crash, according to police. Continue reading

June 3, 2017

Tiger Woods Arrested for DUI

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

An increasing number of DUI accidents with injuries involve drivers who were under the influence of drugs. Specifically, narcotics and prescription drugs have proven problematic.

According to a recent news report from CNN, golfer Tiger Woods was arrested at 3 a.m. on suspicion of drunk driving. Police in Jupiter, Florida say they found Woods’ vehicle on the side of the road. The engine of his 2015 Mercedes-Benz was running, the brake lights were on, and the turn signal was allegedly still flashing. He was the only one in the vehicle, and he was wearing his seat belt.

The officers then attempted wake him up, and he was allegedly slurring his speech. He then allegedly told police that he had been golfing in Los Angeles; however, he had no idea where he currently was. He was asked to take a breath test, and, when he blew into the device, it registered a 0.0, indicating he was not under the influence of alcohol. Continue reading