Our New Bedford car accident lawyers represent people hurt in collisions on I-195, Route 18, Route 140, and the streets connecting the waterfront to the South Coast. Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys takes on the insurance companies, the trucking carriers, and the defense lawyers behind them.
Some of the most serious crashes around New Bedford involve commercial vehicles and impaired drivers. Those cases carry extra layers of rules, records, and insurance, and each layer can change what your claim is worth.
Call 205-323-1000 for a free consultation. We're available 24/7.
Table of Content
- What Changes When a Truck Causes a New Bedford Car Accident?
- How Does an Impaired Driver Affect a New Bedford Car Accident Claim?
- Which Insurance Policies Can Pay After a New Bedford Car Accident?
- How Is Fault Shared in a Multi-Vehicle New Bedford Crash?
- Which Records Show What Really Happened in a New Bedford Crash?
- What Paperwork Protects a New Bedford Car Accident Claim in the First Days?
- When Does the Clock Run Out on a New Bedford Car Accident Claim?
- Why Choose Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys as Your New Bedford Car Accident Lawyers?
- Do You Need a New Bedford Car Accident Lawyer?
- FAQs for New Bedford Car Accident Lawyer
- Before the Carrier's Version Becomes the Only One
What Changes When a Truck Causes a New Bedford Car Accident?
When a commercial truck causes a New Bedford car accident, the claim often involves both the trucking company and the driver. Route 18 links I-195 with the waterfront, so passenger cars regularly share lanes with trucks moving freight to and from the port.
A carrier can be responsible for its driver's conduct on the job and for its own decisions about hiring, training, scheduling, and maintenance.
Federal safety rules supply a clear yardstick. Under the FMCSA hours-of-service rules, a property-carrying driver may drive no more than 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, may not drive beyond the 14th hour after coming on duty, and must take a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving.
Electronic logging devices, dispatch records, and fuel receipts can show whether a driver broke those limits. Those records are held by the carrier, and an early request to preserve them helps keep them from being overwritten.
How Much Insurance Do Trucking Companies Carry?
Interstate trucking companies generally carry far more insurance than private drivers. Under 49 CFR 387.9, for-hire carriers hauling nonhazardous property in interstate commerce must maintain at least $750,000 in financial responsibility, with higher minimums for oil and hazardous materials.
That coverage can make the difference in a catastrophic injury or wrongful death case. It also means the carrier's insurer has strong reasons to investigate quickly, sometimes before an injured person has left the hospital.
How Does an Impaired Driver Affect a New Bedford Car Accident Claim?
An impaired driver's conduct strengthens a New Bedford car accident claim, but the civil claim for your injuries runs separately from any criminal case. Massachusetts law makes it a crime to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher under G.L. c. 90, § 24.
A criminal conviction is not required to win a civil claim. The injury claim uses a lower burden of proof, and evidence from the police investigation, including test results and officer observations, can help prove the driver was careless.
When an OUI crash takes a life, the Massachusetts wrongful death statute allows punitive damages of at least $5,000 if the death resulted from gross negligence or willful, wanton, or reckless conduct. A family facing that loss should not also have to manage insurers and court deadlines.
Which Insurance Policies Can Pay After a New Bedford Car Accident?
Several insurance policies can pay after a New Bedford car accident, and the right order depends on who was involved. Most claims draw on some combination of five layers of coverage.
| Coverage | Who carries it | When it pays |
| Personal injury protection (PIP) | The policy on the car you were in | Medical bills, up to 75 percent of lost wages, and replacement services up to $8,000, regardless of fault |
| Bodily injury liability | The at-fault driver | Your injury damages, with Massachusetts minimums of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident |
| Uninsured motorist | Your own policy | When the at-fault driver has no insurance or leaves the scene |
| Underinsured motorist | Your own policy, if purchased | When the at-fault driver's limits are too low to cover your losses |
| Commercial and trucking policies | Employers, carriers, and rideshare companies | When the at-fault driver was working or driving for a company |
Rideshare crashes add another layer. Under G.L. c. 175, § 228, coverage for an Uber or Lyft driver rises to at least $1,000,000 per occurrence while the driver is engaged in a prearranged ride.
The PIP and minimum figures come from the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, and the minimum limits reflect increases that took effect July 1, 2025.
Claims for pain and suffering against the at-fault driver open once medical expenses exceed $2,000 or the injury meets another threshold in G.L. c. 231, § 6D. That threshold does not limit claims for lost wages and other economic losses beyond PIP.
How Is Fault Shared in a Multi-Vehicle New Bedford Crash?
Fault in a multi-vehicle New Bedford crash is divided by percentage among everyone who contributed, and you can recover as long as your share is not greater than the combined share of the defendants. Your damages are then reduced by your own percentage under G.L. c. 231, § 85.
Imagine a driver on I-195 who is changing lanes when a tractor-trailer drifts into the same lane. If a jury values the claim at $250,000 and finds the driver 10 percent at fault for a late signal, the recovery becomes $225,000.
Multi-vehicle crashes also raise questions about who hit whom first. A chain-reaction collision on Route 18 may involve one driver who caused the first impact and others who followed too closely, and each can share responsibility for your injuries.
Carriers may argue that the smaller vehicle caused the crash. Lane position data, truck camera footage, and the driver's logs can answer those arguments with facts.
Which Records Show What Really Happened in a New Bedford Crash?
The records that show what happened in a New Bedford crash reveal how the vehicles moved, what each driver was doing, and how the crash changed your life. In truck and highway cases, much of that evidence sits in electronic systems that can overwrite themselves.
- Truck data: Engine control module downloads, electronic logging device records, and forward-facing camera footage
- Passenger vehicle data: Event data recorder information on speed, braking, and seatbelt use
- Scene evidence: Photographs, skid marks, debris fields, and vehicle damage
- Witnesses and responders: Statements from other drivers, police reports, and EMS records
- Medical and wage records: Treatment notes, bills, and proof of time missed from work
Timing matters with electronic evidence. In a truck case, a preservation request made in the first days can decide whether the most important records still exist months later.
What Paperwork Protects a New Bedford Car Accident Claim in the First Days?
A few filings in the first days after a New Bedford car accident protect both your benefits and your claim against the driver who caused it. Each one has its own deadline.
- Report the crash to the RMV: Under G.L. c. 90, § 26, a driver in a crash that injured anyone or caused more than $1,000 in damage must file a written report with the Registrar within five days, with a copy to the local police department.
- Put your PIP claim in writing: G.L. c. 90, § 34M calls for a written claim as soon as practicable and in every case within two years.
- Track your losses: A simple log of appointments, missed work, mileage, and out-of-pocket costs becomes proof of damages.
- Hold off on releases: A signed release or cashed settlement check can end the claim before you know the full extent of your injuries.
If a commercial vehicle was involved, the carrier's response team may already be at work. Calling a lawyer early gives your side the same head start.
When Does the Clock Run Out on a New Bedford Car Accident Claim?
You generally have three years to sue after a New Bedford car accident, counted from the date of the crash, under G.L. c. 260, § 2A.
Claims involving a city or state vehicle require written presentment within two years under G.L. c. 258, § 4. A suit can follow once the claim is denied in writing or six months pass without a decision, and it is due within three years.
Recovery from a public employer is generally capped at $100,000 under G.L. c. 258, § 2, though MBTA claims for serious bodily injury are exempt from that limit on compensatory damages.
Wrongful death claims are brought by the estate's executor or administrator within three years of the death, or within three years of when the executor knew, or with reasonable diligence should have known, the facts behind the claim.
For injured children, G.L. c. 260, § 7 keeps a child's three-year clock from starting until age 18.
Why Choose Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys as Your New Bedford Car Accident Lawyers?
More than 100,000 clients have trusted Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys, and our recoveries exceed $1 billion. Our results include a $6,500,000 settlement in an 18-wheeler wrongful death case and a $7,500,000 settlement in a commercial vehicle case involving serious injury.
Past results do not predict future outcomes, and each case depends on its own facts. What those results show is our readiness to take on carriers and their insurers, all the way to a jury when needed.
We serve New Bedford and the South Coast, and your first consultation is free. Our team handles the insurers, the records, and the court filings while you recover.
If a trucking company or its insurer has already contacted you, call 205-323-1000 before you give a statement.
Do You Need a New Bedford Car Accident Lawyer?
You need a New Bedford car accident lawyer when a truck, a company vehicle, or an impaired driver was involved, or when your injuries go beyond what PIP covers. Those claims bring federal records, multiple insurers, and fault arguments that are hard to answer alone.
A fender bender with no injury and a fair property damage offer may not need a lawyer at all. A free consultation can tell you which kind of claim you have.
FAQs for New Bedford Car Accident Lawyer
Does a criminal case against the other driver affect my New Bedford injury claim?
No, the criminal case doesn't control your injury claim, though it can help. The civil claim moves on its own timeline, and police findings or a conviction may help prove carelessness. The criminal case and the civil claim can still affect each other, so it helps to follow both.
What if an out-of-state driver hit me on I-195?
A claim is still possible after an out-of-state driver hits you. Massachusetts courts can generally hear claims from crashes that happen in the state, and your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage can help if theirs falls short. Identifying that driver's insurer early keeps the claim moving.
What happens if my car was totaled in a New Bedford crash?
If a crash that wasn't your fault totaled your car, the at-fault driver's property damage coverage generally covers its pre-crash value. Your own collision coverage can pay sooner, minus your deductible. Comparable sales and maintenance records can help support a higher value if the offer is low.
Who pays my medical bills while my New Bedford claim is pending?
PIP pays your first medical bills while a New Bedford car accident claim is pending, up to the $8,000 limit, regardless of fault. After PIP, your health insurance may cover treatment, and it may seek repayment from any settlement later.
Should I talk to the trucking company's insurer after a New Bedford crash?
It's usually wise to speak with a lawyer before giving a statement to a trucking company's insurer after a New Bedford crash. The carrier's adjusters represent the company's interests, and early statements can be used to shift blame. Once you have a lawyer, those conversations go through us.
Before the Carrier's Version Becomes the Only One
The trucking company and its insurer may already be building their version of what happened. A free consultation helps you understand where your claim stands and what evidence needs to be protected now.
To Big Insurance… you're a claim number. To us, you're the reason we never stop fighting. Call Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys at 205-323-1000, any hour of the day.
Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys. Main Office: 44 School St, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02108. Phone: 205-323-1000. Free consultation, available 24/7. Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.