Fatal Car Accidents

Fatal car accidents are defined as an automobile accident that cause death to at least one other person, be it a driver, passenger, or pedestrian. Fatal car accidents can be a result of several different types of an accidents such as rollover accidents, truck accident, bicycle accidents. Crosswalk accidents, and highway collisions. There were an estimated 6,420,000 cars involved in accidents in the US in 2005. An average of 115 persons die each day in motor vehicle crashes in the United States, about one every 13 minutes.

The number of fatal car accidents is decreasing across the country, and in Massachusetts. From 2007 to 2008, Massachusetts experienced a 16% decrease in the number of automobile fatalities. However hundreds still occur statewide every year. While car accident fatalities have decreased in Massachusetts, as well as nationally, hundreds of fatal car accidents still occur statewide every year.

According to the National Highway and Safety Traffic Administration (NHSTA), approximately 16,626 people have died nationwide in car accidents in the first half of 2009. In 2008, 37,261 people died in fatal car accidents nationwide. Of those lives lost, 363 car accident fatalities occurred in Massachusetts. The majority of these fatalities were related to alcohol, and 75 of the fatalities were pedestrians.

Most of Massachusetts fatal car accidents took place in Middlesex and Worcester Counties. Based on a population analysis, Berkshire and Franklin counties had the highest fatal car crash percentages for 2008.

Massachusetts wrongful death laws state that only certain people may file a claim and collect compensation after a loved one’s fatal car accident or deadly crash. Surviving family members may be able to collect compensation for their loss. While the type and amount of compensation may be different in every case, in most cases the family may collect compensation from the negligent driver to cover medical bills, funeral and burial expenses, loss of companionship, loss of income, and other types of compensation.