call now
(617) 391-9001
Hiring a Boston car accident lawyer might be the last thing on your mind if you were seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident here in Boston, Massachusetts. However, your lawyer can make a world of difference in recovering the fair compensation you need to move on with your life.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident in Boston, MA, You may be entitled to recover damages for your medical bills, lost wages, suffering, and more. Get in touch with an experienced Boston car accident attorney at Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers at (617) 391-9001 to schedule a free consultation, or fill out our contact form.
Our experienced car accident attorneys will fight to get the full amount you deserve. We’ll listen to your story and explain your options for moving forward with your case.
Table of Contents
After a car accident, not only are you dealing with the inconvenience of car repairs or replacement, pain from injuries, and lost wages from missing work, but you may also have bills adding up from all of these difficulties you’ve faced. Insurance companies are supposed to provide compensation to help with situations like these when you need it most.
Unfortunately, that money has to come out of their profits—and car insurance companies are very much motivated by profit. That means the auto insurance adjuster will often go to great lengths to deny, delay, or minimize the value of your payout. Often, they have the resources to succeed.
You need a car accident lawyer to even the playing field. When you choose Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers, you’ll have over 100 years of combined legal experience in your corner. That means a lawyer who will:
If you’re hurt and wondering where to turn for help in maximizing your settlement offer, look no further. Our legal team at Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers is standing by to take your call.
Any type of auto accident can have serious consequences. The type of accident in which you’re involved can ultimately impact your pursuit of compensation. It’s important to work with a car accident attorney who has a lot of experience representing clients who have been injured in different types of wrecks. At Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers, we help clients who have been injured in:
Regardless of how you were hurt, our team is here to help. We’ve devoted our careers to helping injured clients across Boston. All you have to do is call to find out what we can do for you.
Any number of factors can come together to cause a car accident. In fact, multiple factors might lead to the same car accident. Some of the most common causes of car accidents in Boston include:
You might not know what caused your car wreck. In fact, this is fairly common. After all, an accident can happen in the blink of an eye—and don’t count on the other driver to admit fault. With over 100 years of combined experience, our car accident attorneys at Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers can help you get to the bottom of what happened. Get in touch with our law firm by calling or filling out our contact form today. Your first consultation is always completely free of charge.
While auto accidents can unfold anywhere in the city of Boston, certain stretches of road and intersections are simply more dangerous than others.
Crash data from the Massachusetts DOT shows that these are where car accidents tend to happen in Boston:
An investigation by NBC10 in Boston also found that Columbia Road at the Southeast Expressway and North Washington Street at Central Artery are also among the most dangerous crossroads in the city, simply due to the fact that a lot of accidents happen there.
Correctly identifying and documenting your car accident injuries is extremely important if you plan to seek financial compensation from the other party or parties involved. To accomplish this, you’ll need to develop an understanding of the most common injuries incurred during car accidents, including the following:
When your vehicle is stopped suddenly at any speed, you can experience whiplash, a condition caused by the sudden whip-like motion of your torso during the sudden change in velocity.
Typical symptoms of whiplash after a car accident include:
Due to its nature, whiplash typically affects the neck, shoulders, and upper spine the most, but it can also have adverse effects on the lower back, especially when left untreated. Around 300,000 Americans who have suffered whiplash become disabled in some way due to pain and lack of proper treatment.
Brain injuries are perhaps the most common injury that results from car and truck accidents. They can also be difficult to spot, particularly since victims may experience delayed symptoms.
However, some brain injuries—like penetrating head wounds and skull fractures—can be spotted right away by medical professionals, even if the victim doesn’t feel pain due to the shock of the accident.
This type of injury can have varied symptoms that reveal themselves at different times, but some of the most common include the following:
Car accidents are frequently responsible for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and are caused by a traumatic physical event that causes a blow to the head, leading to a disruption of normal brain function. Auto accidents are a leading cause of TBI cases in the U.S.
Internal injuries to the soft tissues, such as tendons, muscles, and ligaments, can be difficult to spot immediately following a car accident. This is especially true if you sustained more serious injuries that had to be tended to right away. These types of injuries are likely to come back to haunt you in the days and weeks after an accident, with joint pain, muscle soreness, and decreased mobility.
Leaving soft tissue injuries untreated is a common mistake, especially since most victims don’t see them as particularly serious. However, damage to your soft tissue can worsen without treatments such as physical therapy, causing you to slowly lose your range of motion in the affected areas and, in some cases, render you completely immobile.
Skin-related injuries such as burns are more likely to affect a motorcyclist in a crash than a person driving a vehicle.
However, there’s still a significant chance of sustaining burns through exposure to hot surfaces, steam, or fluids during a collision. Broken bones are also an extremely common outcome of car accidents, particularly if they are more serious.
Generally, skin injuries and broken bones are more medically obvious to professionals following an accident than other injuries, making it easier to immediately include these in an accident report to be used in a lawsuit.
There are more than 36,000 miles of road crisscrossing the state of Massachusetts. Roughly 5 million vehicles travel these roads every single day. Not everyone makes it to their destination safely.
Traffic accidents are incredibly common in the Commonwealth—and have been for years.
In just a few short years, the number of accidents in Massachusetts has increased significantly. Between 2019 and 2020, the state saw crashes rise by almost 15%. On a given day in 2019, there were roughly 385 car accidents in the state every single day.
As the largest city in the Commonwealth, it’s no surprise that Boston and its suburbs are where many of these collisions take place. In the years spanning 2012-2019, there were a total of 34,956 collisions reported in the city of Boston alone. That’s about 4,370 collisions a year, or 12 a day, inside city limits.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, there were 3,521 total vehicle accidents in the city of Boston in 2022, according to preliminary data. Of those crashes, 811 involved non-fatal injuries, while 23 involved fatalities. In 2023 thus far, there have been 247 total accidents in Boston, with 53 of them causing non-fatal injury (Reported as of Feb 14th, 2023).
At Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers, our Boston car accident attorneys have experience representing car accident victims who have suffered:
If you or a loved one were injured in a car crash in Boston or nearby areas in Suffolk County, call our car accident attorneys today. We can arrange a virtual consultation or travel to you to talk about your options for recovering fair compensation to help get your life back on track.
Massachusetts is a no-fault insurance state. That means you’ll typically begin by filing a claim with your own insurance company. However, you’re entitled to sue the at-fault driver for compensation if you either:
If you satisfy either of these requirements, you can pursue a lawsuit against anyone who played a role in your car crash. That might include:
Our team at Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers, will put in the work needed to identify every responsible party. That greatly increases the odds of recovering the maximum available compensation for your injuries.
Massachusetts follows a no-fault car insurance system. Because of this, your own insurance policy covers medical expenses and other losses following a car accident, regardless of who may be responsible for the collision. Pursuing compensatory damages is complicated and must meet a certain threshold to be eligible for an award.
Your no-fault coverage, or Personal Injury Protection benefits, apply to the following:
It’s essential to consider that your PIP coverage only covers up to $8,000 of losses sustained from a car accident. This includes medical bills, 75% of income from your inability to work, lost income, or other services like live-in assistance. PIP coverage does not cover losses incurred due to pain and suffering or other emotional damages.
In severe car accidents in Massachusetts, PIP coverage may not adequately cover medical bills and other losses sustained in your accident.
The following are the minimum values assigned to PIP coverage:
If you were significantly injured in a Massachusetts car accident and your injuries are over $8,000, you may benefit from pursuing compensation in a personal injury claim for harm caused by negligence. At Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers, we fight for the maximum compensation you deserve for present and future medical expenses so you may obtain a full recovery. You should not be held financially responsible for the negligent actions of someone else who caused your accident.
Anytime that you get behind the wheel of your car, you run the risk of being involved in an accident. Whether you were involved in a T-bone accident, rear-end collision, or a side swipe accident, you may have suffered extensive injuries and losses as a result. Regardless of whether your accident was minor or more severe, someone will always be held liable for the accident occurring in the first place. In some cases, it can be clear who is at-fault for an accident. However, that is not always the case. Sometimes, liability is muddled and requires the help of a car accident attorney in Boston, MA, to help you determine if you hold some or any of the liability for the accident.
Even if you walk away from an accident with injuries, it is not as easy as you may think to prove that the other driver should be held liable for the accident. Massachusetts is a no-fault state. This means that when filing your claim, you will be receiving certain benefits and compensation from your own insurance provider. While you will not initially pursue damages from the other party’s insurance provider, that does not mean that it is not possible if they are found to be at fault for the accident. If fault is found to be with the other driver, you can file a claim through your insurance provider, but you must provide proof. The proof you may provide could include:
State law allows anyone to pursue non-monetary damages like pain and suffering by filing a lawsuit against the at-fault party if the losses they have suffered exceed $2,000. During the investigation, if it is discovered that either party was acting negligently, thus causing the accident, it may be determined that one of the drivers hold more than fifty percent liability for the accident.
When determining who is liable for a car accident in Massachusetts, the at-fault driver must meet the following requirements:
Depending on the type of insurance coverage you have and your driving record, if you are at-fault for a car accident you may receive negative points and an increase to your insurance rate as a result. That is why it is crucial that you work with a trusted Boston auto accident lawyer who can help prove the fault of the other party while building a strong claim.
Personal injury victims in Boston are entitled to full compensation for past and future losses related to the injury. In the state of Massachusetts, these damages fall into one of two categories. They are economic or non-economic.
Economic damages are those awarded to make up for the financial costs, expenses, and losses you experience because of your accident. Examples include:
These are verifiable and quantifiable costs—often using invoices, bills, and/or receipts. Economic awards can compensate for both your present costs and whatever future expenses you’ll likely have.
Some consequences of a car wreck don’t have direct or specific costs. Some consequences are so intimate and personal that the true cost really varies from one victim to the next. Non-economic damages are awarded to account for these subjective injuries. Examples include:
Don’t let the insurance company decide how much you deserve. At Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers, we have the resources to hire respected experts who can make sure your injury claim is fairly valued. Remember, it’s the insurance adjuster’s job to get you to settle for less. Call our firm today to speak with one of our experienced Boston car accident attorneys with the skills to protect your best interests at the negotiating table.
Massachusetts follows a modified comparative negligence law. That means accident victims can only recover compensation if they were less than 51% to blame for the crash. If you were 51% or more “at fault” for causing the accident, you’re prohibited from recovering any compensation from the other at-fault parties. If you do share some, but not most, of the blame, your damages will be reduced accordingly. For instance, imagine that your damages from a crash in Boston total $100,000. You’re also allocated 30% of the blame for the accident. Under the state’s contributory fault rules, you’ll be able to recover a maximum of $70,000. Why? Your total compensation ($100,000) is reduced in direct proportion to your share of the blame (30%).
There are very few exceptions to the rule. Because of the shared fault rules in Massachusetts, it’s particularly important to speak with an attorney right away. You can expect the insurance company to do everything possible to shift the blame to you. At Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers, our personal injury attorneys know how to fight back. We’ll conduct a detailed investigation to find the proof you need to move forward with your injury claim. If you’re interested in learning more, call our law offices for a free case review as soon as you can.
Massachusetts personal injury law gives accident victims three years to file a lawsuit for damages. This time limit is called the statute of limitations.There isn’t much flexibility in this rule—once three years have passed, you’ll lose your right to recover compensation, even if you were seriously hurt.
In fact, you might even have less time to sue for damages. For example, if your claim involves the city of Boston itself, you’re required to provide notice of your intent to pursue damages within 30 days of the accident.It’s never too early to get started with your claim. In fact, our investigation is often much more successful if we get started right away. If you have questions about the deadline for filing a lawsuit, don’t hesitate to call our attorneys for answers.
It’s understandable that you might be a bit shaken up after you’re involved in a motor vehicle accident while driving in or around Boston. However, it’s essential that you keep in mind that the things you do and the decisions you make in these moments are important. They could have a sizable impact on your health, as well as the strength and value of any injury claims you decide to pursue. Following, a traffic accident in Boston:
At Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers, we know that accidents are anything but convenient. That’s why our team is always standing by to take your call—24/7/365. If you’ve been hurt in a car accident in Boston, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and contact us immediately. The sooner you call and get us in your corner, the sooner we can get to work on fighting for the money you deserve.
Handling a car accident claim can be challenging. Insurance companies will take any opportunity to deny or undervalue a claim to make a profit. Your claim will likely become more solid and valuable with every detail and proof you compile to support it.
As the injured party, you must collect evidence that proves your side of the story, your accident-related injuries, and any wages or income you lost from having to miss work. Evidence can take many different forms.
Immediately after a car accident, you should start documenting injuries and damages by taking photos and videos if you can. If you cannot record evidence right away, you can have someone go back to the crash site to do it for you.
Capture images of the entire accident scene as well as close-up photos of your physical injuries and any property damage. You might also be able to ask nearby businesses if they caught the accident on their surveillance cameras. This evidence can reveal where the other driver struck you, the seriousness of your injuries, and many other details about the nature of the accident.
Before you leave the scene, obtain the contact information of eyewitnesses. It is simpler to establish who was at fault for the car accident when witnesses can provide first-hand accounts of what occurred at the collision scene. For instance, they could have seen what caused the accident or witnessed the at-fault driver acting recklessly.
Later on, eyewitnesses may be called on to testify and make an official statement on what they say. Personal injury claims frequently devolve into the parties telling their version of events, often putting themselves in a favorable light. When other people who were not involved in the accident share what they witnessed, it can corroborate your side of the story.
Your medical records and invoices will be valuable evidence for establishing the severity of your injuries and the cost of your medical expenses. As soon as you have seen a doctor, start saving copies of documentation of your injuries and associated costs, such as those for surgeries, medical procedures, and prescription medication.
The insurance provider will likely request copies of all pertinent medical records to verify your injuries. A medical authorization form from the insurance provider should not be signed, though, as the provider might use it to access older information and justify rejecting your claim.
A police report can include crucial information regarding the collision, including if one of the drivers broke the law and the insurance information for the other. A collision in Massachusetts that results in injuries, fatalities, or property damage must be reported to the police.
A police officer will frequently record all information about the accident after arriving at the site of an automobile accident, such as the following:
You may access the official accident report online after paying a fee. When you’re filing a claim, the insurance provider will most likely ask for the police report as evidence to verify your claim.
This documentation will be required by an insurance provider that your losses occurred as you claim. In a trial, a police officer’s testimony typically carries more weight than your word or a witness statement alone.
The burden of proof falls on you if you are a car accident victim seeking compensation. You are responsible for providing sufficient proof that another person was at fault for your collision and injuries. The plaintiff, who is the one seeking damages, is always responsible for bearing this burden. Collecting valuable evidence is necessary to satisfy this burden of proof.
Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers work hard to protect the interests of their clients in car accident claims, whether facing a defendant or an insurance company. Our hard work has given us a reputation as a firm with competent and reliable attorneys. For instance, Attorney Kyle Camilleri, a trial attorney who devotes 100% of his practice to litigation, represents clients in various personal injury claims, including car accidents. Legal professionals like him may prove to be a valuable asset to your case.
No matter how safe of a driver you may be, a car accident can happen to anyone when they least expect it. Being involved in a car accident can leave victims feeling lost as they assess the damages they have suffered due to another person acting carelessly. After the accident, you may be concerned about how this incident could affect your car insurance. Depending on the type of accident you were involved in and how much liability you hold for the crash, you may see different impacts on your auto insurance.
If you were involved in a chargeable accident, you will generally see an increase in your auto insurance rate. Chargeable accidents usually mean that you were found to be more than fifty percent liable for the crash which resulted in:
Chargeable accidents can also be defined based on the dollar amount in damages. For example, if the other party suffered more than $500 in bodily harm, this may be considered a chargeable accident.
Not all accidents will cause an increase in your insurance rate. An example of car accidents that are not considered to be chargeable are:
You can prevent any impact on your auto insurance by providing proof that you were not at fault for the accident. This proof may include:
To avoid having a car accident negatively impact your auto insurance, our car accident lawyers in Boston may be able to help.
If the at-fault driver left the scene and you are unable to identify the driver, you can make a claim with your own automobile insurance for uninsured motorist benefits. These benefits provide compensation in situations where you are unable to identify the at-fault party, or where the at-fault party does not have automobile insurance. You will, however, need to provide evidence to show that another vehicle was at fault for the crash.
When dealing with any defective product in a legal case, the most important first step is preserving the product so that it can be inspected. Too often we come across cases we believe would be strong cases to pursue, but the product is nowhere to be found; it was thrown out in the mechanic’s garage, lost when someone needs medical care, or trashed because that’s our first response when things go wrong. The problem is, without this product, the manufacturers can make all sorts of defenses blaming everything but the widget that serves as a backbone to their business’ bottom line.
Yes. Passengers may still recover compensation through the at-fault driver’s automobile insurance.
Massachusetts is a no-fault state, meaning that your own automobile insurance will pay up to the first $8,000 in medical bills regardless of fault. This coverage is called Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, and is part of every Massachusetts automobile policy for motor vehicles. Once your PIP coverage is exhausted, your medical bills will be resubmitted to your health insurance for payment. However, if you were injured while operating or riding a motorcycle, your automobile insurance will not have PIP coverage. Depending on your motorcycle insurance policy, you may have MedPay benefits. This is another form of no-fault coverage which will pay medical bills arising from your crash.
After you have been injured in an accident caused by a negligent driver, you will generally speak with a car accident lawyer who can help you file a car accident claim with the other driver’s insurance. Through this claim, you can pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering.
If the driver only carries minimum liability insurance they may not have enough coverage to pay as much as you are owed in compensation. Additionally, if they are uninsured, you may be thinking that you will receive no compensation at all. However, when you carry uninsured and underinsured motor coverage, you will have your own coverage to help you pay off the cost of any losses not covered by the at-fault party.
If you are considering getting underinsured insurance, uninsured insurance, or both, it is crucial that you understand what each covers and how that coverage could be beneficial to you.
Being involved in an accident is already traumatic. However, when you are in an accident with a negligent party who is unable to pay you the compensation you are owed, you may be feeling helpless and unsure if you will get the justice you deserve.
If you are unsure of what your next steps should be after being involved in a car accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver in Boston, it is important that you contact a trusted car accident lawyer as soon as possible. At Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers, we are passionate about helping you fight for fair compensation as you recover from the physical and emotional injuries you have sustained as a result of another person’s carelessness.
Car accidents are a serious problem that can result in significant injuries and even death. However, by following some simple guidelines, you can reduce the risk of accidents and keep yourself and others safe on the road.
By following these guidelines, you can significantly reduce the risk of car accidents and keep yourself and others safe on the road.
Money is no guarantee that you’ll fully recover from your physical injuries. However, it can give you the financial security needed to get the best possible treatment and move on with your life.
Our trusted legal team of Boston car accident lawyers is led by our experienced co-managing partners, J. Tucker Merrigan and Peter M. Merrigan. J. Tucker Merrigan has been a co-managing partner of the firm for over a decade. He has been recognized for his work in the Massachusetts legal system with awards that include: Under 40, National Trial Lawyers; 2020-2021 Lawyer.com Top Attorney Award. Our other co-managing partner, Peter M. Merrigan, has been recognized for his work helping the communities of Boston: 2018 Top 40 Under 40, National Trial Lawyers; and 2021 Massachusetts “Super Lawyer.”
If you or a loved one were hurt in a crash, reach out to a car accident attorney at Sweeney Merrigan Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation. We have the experience you need to get the full and fair compensation your family deserves. You can call a car accident lawyer in Boston at (617) 391-9001 or fill out our contact form.
*Disclaimer – we do not endorse these companies or profit from having them listed on our website. These were some of the highest rated auto repair shops on Yelp.
Attorneys at Sweeney Merrigan Law, LLP have been recognized and honored by several of the top legal associations, including SuperLawyers, National Trial Lawyers Association, and Best Lawyers.
Sweeney Merrigan Law, LLP is a highly successful personal injury law firm serving Massachusetts since 2011.
There are no fees or costs unless we win your case!
