The Massachusetts Personal Injury Newsletter

The move from car seats to seat belts can be unsettling for parents who want to keep their children safe. Kids can move out of car seats when they are 4 feet 9 inches tall and between 8 and 12 years old, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They should always use a seat belt and sit in the rear seat for the best protection. When kids move out of a booster seat to use a seat belt exclusively, it's important to make sure they're using the belt correctly. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides guidelines for this: • A child should be tall enough to sit without slouching with his back against the vehicle seat. •The knees should be naturally bent over the car's seat with the feet hanging down or flat on the floor. • The seat belt's lap portion should sit snugly across the child's hips - not the belly. • The shoulder belt should lie across the child's chest and shoulder - not the neck or face. That's not all. Never allow a ...

The National Safety Council recently released the 2014 edition of Injury Facts®, which details safety statistics and trends across the U.S. and worldwide. Injury Facts has been the Council’s go-to resource for all safety statistics for more than 90 years. Among the more surprising statistics in the 2014 edition: 1. Poisonings, including those from unintentional opioid prescription painkiller overdoses, were the leading cause of death in 18 states and Washington, D.C. The increase in fatalities corresponds with the national increase in deaths from drug poisonings, including those involving prescription painkillers. 2. Cell phone use is now estimated to be involved in 26 percent of all motor vehicle crashes – up from the previous year. 3. An estimated 5 percent of cell phone-related crashes involve texting, while 21 percent involve drivers talking on handheld or hands-free cell phones. 4. In 2012, the number of teen motor vehicle occupant deaths decreased, but motor vehicle crashe...

Frozen pipes aren’t just inconvenient: if they burst, just a small crack can release hundreds of gallons of water into your home, damaging carpets, floors, walls, ceilings and anything else that happens to be in the path. Even if your Homeowners Policy covers damage to your home from burst water pipes, nothing can make up for the disruption, discomfort and loss of personal items. Frozen pipes have caused millions of dollars in damage to American homes over the last decade. But they’re easily avoided by following these simple tips: Prepare today: • Insulate pipes in your crawl spaces and attic. These exposed pipes are the most susceptible to freezing. • Wrap vulnerable pipes with heat tape or thermostatically controlled heat cables. Be sure to use products that are UL-approved, and follow manufacturers’ instructions. • Seal leaks with caulk or insulation to keep cold air from coming in near pipes, especially around electrical wiring, dryer vents and pipes. During cold weather: ...

According to the Labor Department the cost of automobile insurance over the past five years is more than double the 10.7% rise in consumer prices during the same time period.   Yet, claim payments are at best just keeping up with inflation as per the Consumer Federation of America.   Thus, even though the price of insurance is rising, you are not getting any more for your money so you want to make sure that your coverage pays off.   The following are some tips to keep in mind should your car be damaged in an automobile accident.      First, collect as much information at the accident scene as possible including other drivers’ information insurance, witness information along with photographs of the accident scene and vehicle damage.   You can use your smartphone to record much of this information.   Free apps such as WreckCheck can be very useful to collect all this data.      Second, report your accident, even a m...

     Distracted driving is more of a risk than most people would imagine. In the United States , more than nine people are killed due to distracted driving every day, and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that involve a distracted driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported, in 2011 alone, 3,331 people were killed in car accidents that involved a distracted driver and an additional 387,000 people were injured in accidents involving distracted drivers.      Given, the ever increasing number of in-car infotainment systems which are predicted to increase five-fold in new vehicles by 2018, many are calling for limiting new and potentially dangerous mental distractions being built into cars.   According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety which released findings this month, its research showed that as ment...

By Joseph F. De Leo, Esq.      With the warm weather upon us, soaring gasoline prices, increased summer traffic congestion along with many people trying to stay fit it is no surprise that there are more bicycles sharing the road with automobiles than ever before.   Unfortunately this increased interest in cycling has also brought a greater number of motor vehicle accidents involving bicycles, often with tragic results.      According to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the number of Massachusetts residents who mostly rode a bicycle to work increased 80% from 2000 to 2011 from about 12,300 people to 22,000.   This is especially true in cities like Cambridge , Massachusetts where according to some estimates there were three times as many people biking on its streets in 2012 compared to ten years earlier.   In fact, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, about one in ten Massachusetts residents or approxim...

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Massachusetts By Joseph F. De Leo, Esq.      Many people are confused today as to the type and amount of automobile insurance coverage necessary to protect them in the event of an injury arising out of an automobile accident by an uninsured or underinsured automobile as noted by recent news stories concerning people injured by vehicles which did not have adequate insurance coverage.   This article will briefly survey the portion of your own Massachusetts automobile insurance policy which may benefit you should you be injured in an automobile accident and the types and amounts of coverage you may want to increase beyond compulsory amounts prescribed by Massachusetts law.   Future articles will review what insurance coverage and amounts are necessary should you be involved in an accident for which you are deemed liable and coverage amounts that affect damage to your automobile, property and damage to ot...

  What you should know about injuries caused by dogs in Massachusetts By Joseph F. De Leo, Esq. Recently in the news there have been a number of stories reporting dogs biting and attacking people, especially children, sometimes resulting in serious and disfiguring injuries.   In some cases, these injuries are so severe that they require multiple sutures, repeated hospital visits and even plastic surgery to avoid permanent scarring often with mixed results.   Should you or a loved one suffer such an injury it is important that you know that you have a right to file a claim to compensate you for the expensive medical bills, disfigurement, and pain and suffering you have incurred from a dog bite.   As an attorney who has handled numerous claims involving attacks by dogs, I would like to share with you what Massachusetts law says about these types of injuries and what you should do if you or someone you care about should unfortunately suffer a dog bite or at...