Personal Injury Law

Four Massachusetts Traffic Accidents Cause Pedestrian Injuries and Deaths

By Altman & Altman

In the last five days, at least two people died and one person was seriously injured in Massachusetts pedestrian accidents.

On Sunday night, 17-year-old Nicholas Bitsis sustained injuries to his head and body when a car struck him in Seekonk. The driver of the motor vehicle, Margaret Whitaker, is 78. Elderly motorists have recently come under fire in the media for the number of Massachusetts motor vehicle crashes they have been involved in. Lawmakers and others have been calling for tougher laws that would require older senior drivers to prove that they are fit enough to continue driving in the state. The cause of the Seekonk pedestrian accident is still under investigation.

In Westford on Friday, a pedestrian was killed after a tractor-trailer struck him on Route 495S. According to preliminary findings, the victim, a 55-year-old Salem man, appears to have gotten out of his vehicle and was standing next to the break-down lane when the tragic Massachusetts large truck accident happened. Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the Westford pedestrian crash.

On Thursday, another pedestrian sustained serious head injuries when he was involved in a Brighton hit-and-run accident. The victim, Freddy Zepeda, was buckling up his one-year-old child in a car seat when a motor vehicle struck him. Zepeda, 35, eventually died from his injuries.

The driver, 48-year-old Boston resident Cathy Bergin-August, has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing death and motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation. Bergin-August is accused of refusing to stop until Boston police apprehended her. There was reportedly a bottle of prescription sedatives in her motor vehicle.

Massachusetts motorists must drive carefully to prevent striking pedestrians, who are prone to catastrophic injuries any time they are involved in a traffic accident.

Bergin-August arraigned on motor vehicle homicide charges, Wicked Local, July 20, 2009

Dad in critical condition after being hit by car in Brighton, Wicked Local, July 16, 2009

Salem man killed on highway, The Salem News, July 18, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Pedestrian Safety Program, NHTSA

Walking Info

Full post as published by Boston Injury Lawyer Blog on July 21, 2009 (boomark / email).