4 injured, 1 dies in Braintree single-car accident

In Boston and elsewhere, when there are no witnesses to a single-car accident, accident reconstruction experts are sometimes used to help determine the timing and nature of the events which led to the accident. The reconstruction expert would attempt to discover the speed of the car and whether the driver took proper evasive or defensive actions.

A recent single-car accident in Braintree killed the driver and injured four others. All five people were thrown from the Honda Accord, which indicates that none of them was wearing a seatbelt. The 26-year-old female driver from Framingham died after being transported to Boston Medical Center. The accident took place on U.S. Highway 3 near Exit 17.

Also in the car were a 20-year-old woman from Malden and three men from Boston, ages 17, 20 and 26. Two of the injured were taken to Boston Medical Center and two were taken to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. Their condition was not reported other than the fact that their injuries were described as serious.

The initial investigation by the police led them to surmise that the car veered from the left lane to the center lane and then the driver over-corrected. The over-correction caused the car to strike a concrete barrier. The car rode along the barrier for about 100 feet before rolling over more than once and coming to a rest in the center lane.

Questions remain about the nature of the accident which an accident reconstruction could perhaps answer. Was excessive speed involved? Was the driver distracted before drifting out of the left lane? Was alcohol involved? Was there some reason why the driving may have been erratic? The passengers may be able to provide valuable clues when they well enough to be questioned.

The initial report seems to indicate that the driver may be at fault. If the driver was negligent in any way, the four passengers could sue the driver’s estate for personal injury damages.

Source: Patriot Ledger, “Fatal Route 3 crash in Braintree under investigation,” Christian Schiavone, Aug. 8, 2012

At our Boston law firm, we represent individuals, similar to the passengers in this car accident, who suffer personal injuries due to someone else’s negligence or error.