Articles Posted in Uncategorized

‘Tis the season for holiday parties.

Whether you are out enjoying the season with friends and family, at your company holiday party, or entertaining guests at a restaurant or in your home, we urge you to celebrate responsibly. Not only can you help prevent a holiday tragedy, you will also reduce your chances of being found responsible for accident or injury, particularly in cases where alcohol is involved.

In recent years, particular emphasis has been placed on employer liability for employee conduct at company holiday parties.

The American Bar Association notes an increasing number of cases nationwide involve traffic collisions or other injury that occurs after a holiday party. In 2013, the ABA even published “The Little Book of Holiday Law,” to address many of the issues around holiday parties and social host liability.

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More traffic collisions are occurring in states that have relaxed marijuana laws.

The National Transportation Safety Board reported this week that drug-impaired driving is on the rise across the country, and has been blamed for several high-profile incidents, including a crash last year in which authorities report a 20-year-old man crashed his truck into a church bus while under the influence of marijuana and a sedative. Twelve people on the bus were killed.

CBS Boston reports a 2017 study found an overall increase in car crashes in states that have legalized recreational marijuana. Researchers estimated the frequency of collision claims per insured vehicle year, controlling for differences in other factors that could contribute to an accident, including age, location, job status and weather, and still saw an increase. A second study released this week at the  Alcohol- and Drug-Impaired Driving summit at the insurance institute’s Vehicle Research Center, also found an increase of more than 5 percent in the number of traffic collisions.

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With marijuana being legal in Massachusetts, there have been an uptick of crashes caused by drivers under the influence of the drug. While we often talk about the dangers of drunk driving, drugged driving, can and often does result in serious personal injury or even death. However, as our injury lawyers can explain, the difficulty is often proving the at-fault driver was in fact under the influence of marijuana at the time of the crash.

When a person is suspected of drunk driving, the police can investigate and ask the suspect to perform a series of standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs). If the police have probable cause to arrest the suspect on suspicion of drunk driving, they will take the suspect back to the police station or the state police barracks and have the suspect take a breath alcohol test.

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When we think of drunk driving, we are normally thinking of a person under the influence of alcohol, or sometimes drugs, who is behind the wheel of a car or truck. However, to the surprise of many, you can also get arrested for drunk driving in many non-traditional, or even non-motorized, types of vehicles. This can include unpowered bicycles or even scooters.

According to a recent news article from Click Orlando, a man in Florida was arrested for allegedly riding a motorized wheelchair while drunk. Authorities say the 54-year-old defendant was blocking traffic on a bridge with his powered wheelchair. They said someone called 911 and reported an intoxicated man on the bridge obstructing traffic on the bridge. Police further say that, when they arrived at his position, he did not follow their instructions. Police also say he refused to take an alcohol breath test and refused medical attention for an open wound on his body. Authorities ran his criminal history, and he allegedly had two prior convictions for drunk driving. Continue reading

There is no question drunk driving is dangerous. It is dangerous to those in the car, including the driver, and it is dangerous to others on the highways, streets, and sidewalks of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and across the nation. It’s not be a crime to be a passenger in a car where the driver is obviously drunk, people make this choice all the time. One of the reasons for this is because the vast majority of Americans do not fear a drunk driving car accident, even one involving serious personal injury or death. Instead, they mostly fear being arrested for drunk driving, and since you generally cannot be arrested as a passenger, those riding with a drunk driver suffer form a false sense of security. Continue reading

Teenagers under the influence of alcohol has been cited as the reason why some 6,000 people are killed on our roadways every year. This is more deaths than all illegal drug usage combined. Unfortunately, we know of the drunk-driving accidents in Boston and elsewhere that have contributed to this sad statistic.

Our Massachusetts drunk-driving accident attorneys understand the link between football and booze. Unfortunately, there’s a deadly connection between drunk drivers and football season as well. With tailgating parties and fans across the country rooting on their favorite team, a significantly higher number of drivers get behind the wheel during football season after consuming vast amounts of alcohol, putting innocent motorists in danger.

That’s why Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has teamed up with the National Football League (NFL) this season to help stop underage drivers from drinking and driving, and to remind them to never get in the vehicle with a driver who has been drinking.

Teens across the country are taking a pledge on MADD’s Power of You(th) Facebook page to make good decisions throughout football season and throughout the holiday season. Participants can also enter to win some great NFL prizes by urging friends to do the same.

MADD asks that you join the campaign and help to spread the word about sober driving. The MADD Props campaign aims to keep teens safe on our roadways, to keep teens away from underage drinkers and to keep them from drunk driving. If you’re between the ages of 13 and 20, you’re asked to visit MADD’s Facebook page to pledge to stay safe and to enter for a chance to win some cool prizes.

MADD and the NFL want to give MADD Props to those who choose to stay sober and to stay safe.

Underage drinking statistics, from Students Against Destructive Decisions:

-In the last 30 days, more than 26 percent of underage people, ages 12 to 20, admit to using alcohol.

-More than 17 percent of people in this young age group admit to binge drinking in the last 30 days.

-There were more than 50 percent of underage drinkers who reported that they had their last alcohol beverage at someone else’s house. Less than 30 percent report that their last drink was at their own house.

-Of underage drinkers, more than 30 percent admitted to paying for their own alcohol. More than 8 percent purchased it themselves. More than 22 percent said that they gave money to someone else to buy it. More than 37 percent said they didn’t pay for it and got it from someone who wasn’t even related to them.

As we round out the rest of the year, we’re expected to see an increase in the number of drunk-driving accidents on our roadways. By taking the pledge with MADD and the NFL, you can help to stay safe on our roadways and possibly score yourself some cool gear from your favorite NFL team.
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