drunk driving injury lawyer

May 12, 2017

Don’t Risk Drinking and Driving During These Summer Holidays

The summer is a really dangerous time for driving, and some of the highest risk times on the road occur on Memorial Day Weekend, Fourth of July Weekend and Labor Day Weekend. Why are these days so dangerous? One simple reason: Impaired drivers.

People drive drunk far more often during summer holiday celebrations than they do at most other times of the year, and they put themselves and others at risk.

Drunk drivers are breaking the law. Not only can an impaired driver face criminal charges, but a driver who is drunk can also be sued by victims of any crashes the motorist causes to occur. Victims should consult with a Boston drunk driving accident lawyer who can help them to obtain toxicology reports, police testimony, witness testimony and other evidence necessary to prove a driver was drunk and caused an accident to happen. Continue reading

March 21, 2017

Massachusetts State Labs Blow it on Breathalyzer Tests

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Two years worth of alcohol breathalyzer tests central to tens of thousands of Massachusetts drunk driving cases are being tossed by a judge who ruled prosecutors failed to prove a state crime lab was properly testing the machines.

Concord District Court Judge Robert Brennan ruled last month that the Commonwealth’s Office of Alcohol Testing didn’t abide the proper scientifically reliable protocols for calibration of some 350 breathalyzer machines used by law enforcement officers from June 2012 to September 2014. There were also reportedly no clear, written standards for how these devices were supposed to be set up. Absent those kinds of standards, the results can’t be used in a courtroom, the judge ruled.

The public defender in charge of filing the challenge argued prosecutors were using the machines in a manner that resulted in unjust outcomes. Defense attorneys said their concern is to ensure that such tests are both fair and accurate and that those whose actions were not clearly in violation of state OUI statutes aren’t convicted wrongly. Continue reading

July 8, 2016

Boston Drunk Drivers Putting Road Worker Lives at Risk

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Massachusetts state police are beefing up their patrols near highway work zones, particularly in areas with high rates of drunk driving crashes and arrests. The decision, reported by The Boston Globe, comes just days after a road construction crew was mowed down by a drunk driver for the fourth time in just 10 days.

A state police spokesperson said the problem is not the layout of the road construction zones or the safety measures that are used to protect the road construction crews. Rather, the problem is that people are driving drunk and under the influence of drugs. He called these drivers’ actions “irresponsible” and “reckless,” and is a reflection of the bigger problem of impaired driving, which is amplified to some degree in construction zones, where there may be more obstacles, people working close to the roadside and somewhat unpredictable traffic patterns.

Authorities say they intend to increase patrols, and they will additionally be conducting sobriety checkpoints in and near construction zones. Federal and state grants will help to pay for these additional enforcement actions. 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 19, 2015

Report: Massachusetts is Mid-Level on Drunk Driving Prevention

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When it comes to preventing drunk driving through strict penalties, Massachusetts is somewhere right on the middle border.

The website Wallet Hub analyzed DUI laws in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia using a key of 15 different metrics. Using this, they then ranked each state based on how strict or lenient it was on DUI offenders.

Massachusetts ranked 23rd out of 51 for overall. In terms of criminal penalties, however, we ranked as the 9th-strictest state. However, for DUI prevention, we ranked way at the bottom at 44th.