Boston Accident Injury Lawyer Blog

December 29, 2009 - Philip Hyland Daniels was allegedly drunk and driving the wrong way on the Massachusetts Turnpike early Sunday morning. Daniels' 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee crashed head-on into a 1978 MG Midget driven by Rene Bronfield, 49, from Worcester, Massachusetts. A passenger in the MG died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

Daniels is a 33 year old financial operations manager from Norwood, Massachusetts. He is accused of driving while under the influence while traveling west in the eastbound lanes of Route 90 near the Prudential Tunnel in Boston. The two vehicles collided at around 1:49 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Bronfield's passenger, whose identity has not yet been released, was pinned underneath the dashboard and pronounced dead at the scene. The jaws of life were required to remove Bronfield from the MG, which was crushed by the Jeep. Bronfield was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is being treated for life threatening injuries. Bronfield has reportedly lost an eye and suffered massive head trauma.

Daniels apparently did not suffer any significant injuries in the crash. Daniels was arraigned Monday in Boston Municipal Court where he pleaded not guilty to motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol and various charges stemming from the accident. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has suspended Daniels' license. Daniels is currently being held on $100,000 bail.

The Massachusetts State Police claim that Daniels had a blood alcohol level of 0.23 at the time of the accident. In Massachusetts, the legal limit for blood alcohol content is 0.08. Daniels did not have any prior alcohol related driving offenses.

Source: The Boston Herald

December 23, 2009 - Gerard Boucher, 48 from Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Geraldo Hernandez, 37 of Haverhill, were seriously injured when the scaffolding, which they were using to renovate a home in Newburyport, collapsed beneath them Tuesday afternoon. The two men were working at the home located at 25-27 Kent Street when the accident occurred.

According to police, the men were hanging fascia board trim along the roof on the side of the house adjacent to the home at 29 Kent Street. It appears that a faulty bracing support caused the scaffolding to tumble. A third worker, who was installing ice shields on the roof at the time of the accident, heard the crash but did not see the men fall.

When rescue workers arrived on the scene, both victims were unconscious and Boucher had visible massive head trauma. The men were treated at the scene and then brought to Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport. Boucher was subsequently transferred by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition. Hernandez was also airlifted to Beth Israel Hospital, where he is listed in good condition.

This accident remains under investigation by the Newburyport Police Department and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Source: The Gloucester Times, The Gloucester Times

December 23, 2009 - Julian B. Pellegrino, 41 from Springfield, Massachusetts, and Mark Costa, 26 from Chicopee, were both seriously injured when their cars collided on Granby Road in Chicopee on Sunday. Kimberly Desjardins, 42, and a passenger in Pellegrino's 2004 Ford truck, also sustained minor injuries.

According to police, at around 2:20 p.m., Pellegrino's truck was traveling west down Granby Road and crossed over the line and collided with Costa's vehicle. All three individuals were transported to Baystate Medical Center and treated for their injuries. Desjardins was treated and released. On Monday, Costa was listed in fair condition. There was no update on Pellegrino's condition but his injuries were serious.

The cause of this accident is yet to be determined and it remains under investigation by the Chicopee Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police.

Source: Masslive.com

December 22, 2009 - Donna Souza, 50, of Fall River, Massachusetts, and Jenna Souza, 25, also of Fall River, sustained serious personal injuries in a car accident, which occurred on Route 24 in Fall River last Thursday around 3:00 p.m. Donna Souza was the operator of a 2004 Buick Rendezvous, which rolled over the guardrail just north of the President's Avenue exit.

According to police, another vehicle may have caused the SUV to travel from the left lane off of the roadway into the center median where it rolled over and came to a stop. The second vehicle is believed to have fled the scene.

Donna Souza was transported by medical helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Jenna Souza was taken by ambulance to Charlton Memorial Hospital. Both women's injuries were described as serious.

This accident remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police.

Source: The Herald News

December 16, 2009 - Stephen Clark, 22 of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, has died as a result of serious personal injuries sustained when his car collided head on with a tree. Clark was apparently sending text messages just prior to the accident. Clark was traveling down Andover Street in Lowell when his car struck a tree alongside the road at around 11:10 a.m. on Sunday.

Clark's cell phone was found on the floor of the passenger's side of his vehicle with its keyboard exposed. His cell phone records confirmed that he had sent and received text messages immediately before the accident occurred. According to the Lowell Police, Clark was traveling at 50 mph when he hit the tree and was not wearing a seatbelt. Lt. Timothy Crowley remarked that "Texting while driving caused the accident to occur. Speed and not wearing a seat belt made it a fatality."

Clark was rescued from his vehicle at the scene and transported to Saints Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. This accident is a tragic reminder of the dangers of using cell phones while driving and has many people pushing for legislation banning texting while driving.

Source: TMCnet.com

December 9, 2009 - Rockford Funding Group LLC, a New York financial firm controlled by Genadi Yagodayev, was an investment scam, according to the Securities Exchange Commission. Rockford lured customers who believed that they were investing in "Fixed Dividend Contracts," which purportedly generated 15 percent per year or more from structured settlements of private lawsuits, according the Complaint filed by the SEC this week. From March to November 2009, Rockford raised at least $11 million from over 200 investors.

Yagodayev, and twelve other foreign companies who allegedly received payments from Rockford, were named as relief defendants, including the following: Bookmann Agency, LLP, Houseberg Impex, Inc., Infinita Plus Trading Ltd., Intercity Transit Ltd., Madisa Ltd., Milton Benefits LLP, Pacific Gain Technologies Ltd., Partner Asia Distribution Ltd., Rockford Industry Ltd., Star Trading Inc., Sunrise Import & Export Inc., and Traseks Ltd.

According to the SEC, Rockford marketed itself through its web site and by making cold calls to potential customers, promising an annual return of 15%, and claiming that client funds would be invested in structured settlements from private lawsuits. The SEC maintains that in reality Rockford did not hold interests in any structured settlements, but rather used investor funds to make payments to older investors using new victims' money.

The SEC Complaint alleges that during the nine months it operated, Rockford sent over $10.4 million to bank accounts outside the U.S. in the name of entities controlled by Yagodayev. Most were located in Latvia and Honk Kong. The transfers were ostensibly made to cover construction costs and other expenses unrelated to the Rockford investments.

December 7, 2009 - Striker Petroleum, LLC, a Dallas based oil and gas company controlled by Mark S. Roberts, 58, and Christopher E. Pippin, 35, was a massive Ponzi scheme, according to the complaint filed by the SEC last week. According to the SEC complaint, Striker raised approximately $57 million from about 540 investors throughout the U.S. by offering debentures backed by false disclosures about Striker's financial health. Striker further maintained that collateral backing the debentures was held by an independent third party trustee, which was also false.

Between September 2006 and September 2009, Striker offered debentures to investors in an effort to raise additional capital. Debentures function as an unsecured bond backed by the reliability of the borrower. Each series of debentures issued by Striker was accompanied by a Private Placement Memorandum ("PPM"), which contained vital financial statistics about Striker and further claimed that the money would be used to acquire, develop and maintain existing oil and gas properties, to purchase additional collateral, and for general working capital.

According to the SEC, Striker did not use the funds as advertised, but for other puposes, including paying out fixed returns to prior investors who had acquired working interests, known as "Legacy Offerings". Striker also sent funds to a related operating company, Reichman Petroleum, which shortly after filed for bankruptcy.

December 2, 2009 - Anderson Cadell, Jr., 33, an environmental cleanup worker from Seabrook, New Hampshire, has died as a result of serious personal injuries sustained when he was struck by a car on Route 3 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Salvatore Pintone, 30 of Lynnfield, was working alongside Cadell and was seriously injured. Juanita McKenzie, 33 of Lowell, was driving her 2001 Acura MDX partially in the break down lane when she struck the two men, pinning them between her SUV and their truck. The accident occurred at around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Soon after the initial collision, a Chevrolet Cavalier driven by George Patterson, 61 of Chelmsford, smashed into the back of the Acura and slid across the highway. Patterson and his dog were treated for minor injuries.

Cadell and Pintone were part of an environmental cleanup crew directed by United Oil Recovery Inc., which was cleaning an oil spill from an accident on Route 3 last week. Cadell was an employee of United Oil for the past seven years, but Pintone did not work for the company.