Fall River Car Accident Lawyer
Fall River’s busy intersections, such as the Route 24/79 interchange, President Avenue (Route 6), and Plymouth Avenue, see steady commuter and commercial traffic daily. According to publicly available crash data, Fall River recorded more than 230police-reported collisions in 2024 alone, a figure that has remained relatively steady in recent years despite statewide safety initiatives. The city’s dense mill-era street grid, frequent construction detours, and limited on-street parking contribute to an elevated crash risk. Our Fall River car accident lawyers understand the dangers drivers face and offer a free consultation for anyone involved in a wreck.
When a collision happens, victims quickly discover that the path to compensation is neither automatic nor straightforward. Massachusetts’ unique blend of no-fault benefits and fault-based tort options makes knowing where the crash happened and who advocates for you crucial. That is why our team at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers maintains a dedicated Fall River personal injury practice, ensuring that injured residents of Bristol County do not have to navigate Boston-centric court systems or unfamiliar insurance adjusters.
Why You Need a Local Fall River Car Accident AttorneyBig insurers field high-volume regional claims teams that may never set foot in Fall River. A lawyer who works and lives in the Greater Providence to the South Coast corridor can:
- Collect evidence quickly. Secure traffic-camera footage from the SRTA bus hub, municipal surveillance along North Main Street, or retailer video before it is overwritten.
- Locate eyewitnesses who commute locally. Many potential witnesses cross the Braga Bridge daily and can be contacted more readily by a hometown firm.
- Understand Bristol County juries. A prospective jury pool drawn from Somerset, Swansea, and Westport often views congested Route 195 differently from jurors in downtown Boston.
- Coordinate care with nearby providers. Saint Anne’s Hospital, Charlton Memorial, and Southcoast Rehabilitation have billing and lien practices that differ from those in Suffolk County.
Choosing a local advocate keeps every facet of the claim, including legal, medical, and investigative aspects, within the same community footprint, thereby improving both outcomes and client peace of mind.
Massachusetts No-Fault Insurance and PIP Benefits ExplainedMassachusetts operates under a “no-fault” system for the first layer of medical and wage-loss coverage, officially called Personal Injury Protection (PIP). PIP pays:
- Up to $2,000 of reasonable and necessary medical expenses, unless you have no health insurance, in which case PIP can cover the full $8,000.
- 75 percent of lost wages (subject to the $8,000 cap).
- Replacement servicesexpenses (for example, childcare if injuries prevent parenting tasks).
These benefits are paid regardless of fault, meaning you can submit a PIP application even if you were partly responsible for the crash. Insurers are required to pay or deny a PIP claim within 30 days after receiving reasonable proof; however, delays are common, particularly when adjusters demand unnecessary “independent” medical examinations. A lawyer ensures PIP benefits flow promptly so you can keep paying rent and medical co-pays while the bigger liability claim develops.
When You’re Eligible to File a Car Accident Lawsuit in MassachusettsMassachusetts protects courts from minor soft tissue claims by creating a “serious injury” threshold. You may file a bodily injury lawsuit if your crash caused:
- More than $2,000 in reasonable medical bills, or
- A fracture, substantial loss of hearing or sight, permanent disfigurement, or death.
Because ambulance transport, emergency department imaging, and a single orthopedic follow-up can easily exceed $2,000, most people who receive hospital care are eligible. Once outside no-fault, you may seek full tort damages, pain and suffering, future medical costs, diminished earning capacity, and more against at-fault drivers, employers, or other entities that contributed to the collision (e.g., a negligent road-construction contractor).
How Comparative Negligence Affects Your Car Accident Claim in MassachusettsMassachusetts follows a modified comparative negligence standard codified at M.G.L. c. 231 § 85. A plaintiff whose share of fault is 50 percent or less may recover damages, but that percentage reduces the total award. If your share reaches more than 50 percent, recovery is barred entirely.
- Insurance adjusters routinely inflate claimant fault to shrink payouts.
- To neutralize blame-shifting, we conduct scene reconstructions, download event data recorder (“black box”) information, and subpoena cellphone records.
- Jurors often assign very different fault percentages once they see skid-mark measurements, intersection sight-line photos, and human factors testimony.
An experienced trial lawyer can transform a “he-said, she-said” standoff into a compelling narrative supported by biomechanical and forensic data.
Statute of Limitations for Car Accident Claims in MassachusettsMost car-crash injury and wrongful-death claims must be filed within three years of the accident (or of the date of death, in wrongful-death cases). Waiting even one day past that deadline almost always bars recovery.
Key timing pitfalls include:
- Delayed symptom onset: Soft-tissueinjuries may not feel serious until weeks later, but the clock is already ticking.
- Suing the wrong party: misnaming a corporate defendant and then amending after three years can doom the case.
- Injured minors: a child’s limitations period is tolled until age 18, but evidence can disappear long before that; prompt investigation is still critical.
Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers files preservation letters within days to stop spoliation and maintains a docketing system that backs every deadline with multiple reminders.
Types of Compensation You Can Claim After a Fall River Car AccidentA successful tort claim may include compensation for:
- Medical expenses: past and future surgeries, physical therapy, prescription medications.
- Lost income and benefits: including diminished earning capacity if you cannot return to your prior occupation.
- Pain and suffering: physical discomfort, emotional distress, anxiety, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Property damage: repair or replacement of your vehicle and personal items.
- Consortium losses: Impact on Spousal Relationships and Household Services.
- Wrongful death losses: funeral expenses, loss of financial support, and punitive damages in egregious misconduct cases.
Our firm partners with vocational economists and life-care planners to assign authoritative dollar values to each category, ensuring that no line item is undervalued during settlement negotiations.
Common Causes of Motor Vehicle Collisions in Fall RiverLocal crash reports and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation cite several recurrent factors:
- Speeding on Route 24 and Route 79, open highway stretches encourage speeds well above the 55-mph limit.
- Distracted driving and cellphone use near the Marketplace at Swansea and the Battleship Cove tourist corridor.
- Drunk or drug-impaired drivers are leaving downtown pubs or the Tiverton casino over the Braga Bridge.
- Rear-end chain reactions in rush-hour congestion approaching the I-195 ramps.
- Poor road maintenance, potholes on Davol Street, and abrupt lane shifts around ongoing water-main repairs on Bedford Street.
We can pursue additional defendants by pinpointing the precise collision mechanism, such as a bar that overserved a visibly intoxicated patron or a road-construction contractor that failed to post warning signage.
What to Do Right After a Car Accident in Fall River- Check for injuries and call 911. Paramedics can document vitals that the defense cannot later challenge.
- Request a Fall River Police crash report. The FRPD uses a unique Massachusetts Uniform Crash Report number, which you will need for insurance forms.
- Exchange information and photograph everything. If vehicles are towed within minutes, license plates, road debris, and dash-cam footage are irreplaceable.
- Seek medical care the same day. Gaps in treatment are red flags for insurers.
- Notify your insurer promptly. Failure to cooperate can void PIP and optional collision coverage.
- Contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers before speaking with the other driver’s adjuster. Anything recorded can, and will, be used to minimize your claim.
Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers integrates decades of personal injury trial experience with cutting-edge technology:
- Accident Reconstruction. We employ FAA-licensed drone pilots to capture aerial orthomosaic images of crash scenes, revealing tire-mark curvature invisible at ground level.
- Digital Evidence Preservation. Subpoenas compel carriers like Verizon and AT&T to produce cellphone usage logs down to the second.
- Medical-Legal Partnerships. Orthopedists, neurologists, and pain specialists provide affidavits linking every diagnosis to the forces measured in g’s.
- Settlement Mediation and Arbitration. Pre-litigation resolution often yields faster funds; we prepare video-day-in-the-life presentations that resonate with adjusters and mediators alike.
- Trial Readiness. Should insurers refuse fair value, we file in Bristol County or, when jurisdictionally strategic, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, maintaining mock-trial focus groups to test jury reactions.
Our reputation for courtroom success often makes insurers pay policy limits rather than risk a verdict.
Frequently Asked Questions About Car Accident ClaimsQ: “Do I have to pay anything up front?”
Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers works on a contingency-fee basis. We advance all litigation costs and recover nothing unless we win.
Q: “What if the at-fault driver is uninsured?”
Massachusetts requires Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage in equal limits to your liability policy. We pursue UM benefits from your carrier and, if necessary, file arbitration with the American Arbitration Association.
Q: “My airbags did not deploy. Does that hurt my case?”
A lack of deployment can indicate a manufacturing defect or an impact angle that falls outside sensor calibration tolerances. We consult automotive engineers to determine whether a product liability claim exists in parallel with the negligence action.
Q: “How long will my case take?”
Straightforward soft-tissue claims may resolve within six months of medical-maximum-improvement. Complex multi-defendant or catastrophic-injury cases can take two to three years, especially if expert depositions and jury selection are required.
Q: “Will filing a lawsuit make me appear greedy?”
Massachusetts civil juries understand that medical bills and wage losses mount quickly. A well-documented claim merely enforces the financial responsibility already mandated by state law.
Get a Free Case Review with a Fall River Car Accident Lawyer TodayEvery moment you wait can erode crucial evidence and push you closer to the statute-of-limitations deadline. Whether you were rear-ended on William S. Canning Boulevard or sideswiped on Plymouth Avenue, our team stands ready to protect your rights, maximize your compensation, and let you focus on healing.
- Free, no-obligation consultations by phone, video, or at our conveniently located Fall River meeting space.
- 24/7 live answering because crashes do not respect business hours.
- Bilingual staff serve the Portuguese and Spanish-speaking communities that make Fall River vibrant.
Call (508) 974-3304 or complete our secure online form today. Let Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers turn the insurance company’s delay tactics into your decisive advantage and restore the financial stability you deserve after a devastating car crash.
Fall River Office
99 S Main St #350
Fall River, MA 02721
Phone: (508) 974-3304