Posts Tagged ‘Massachusetts’
Project KidSafe Update: Breakstone, White & Gluck Supports Ashland Farmers Market and Tewksbury Police
Our Project KidSafe campaign recently stopped in Ashland and Tewksbury, to donate bicycle helmets to kids at fun events geared toward safety.
On June 5th, the Tewksbury Police Department hosted its Annual Bike Safety Rodeo at Tewksbury Memorial High School. Children came out to ride despite some rain early in the morning. They circled the parking lot, ran an obstacle course and enjoyed time with other kids – and the Lowell Spinners mascot, Canaligator. Cyclists of all ages were offered free bicycle safety inspections.
Children who needed a new helmet were offered one from Breakstone, White & Gluck and the Project KidSafe campaign. Tewksbury police officers partnered with us on the donation and fit the helmets for the kids.
“Please thank the attorneys for us for helping to keep our community safe!” Tewksbury police wrote us.
The Tewksbury Police Department actively works to protect cyclists of all ages with an annual Helmet Reward program. If an officer spots you riding a bicycle and wearing a helmet, you may just win tickets to a Lowell Spinners game. Local businesses provide support for the initiative.
Wearing a bicycle helmet is required for riders 16 years old or younger in Massachusetts, but it is good practice for anyone riding a bicycle. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, wearing a bicycle helmet can reduce the risk for a serious head injury by 50 percent. Other studies have reported it offers even more protection.
On June 18th, the Ashland Farmers Market celebrated its 5th anniversary. Breakstone, White & Gluck donated 75 children’s bicycle helmets for the event. We thank students and members of the community who took time to distribute and fit helmets for the kids.
The Ashland Farmers Market is organized by volunteers, with a goal of providing local farmers and small businesses a venue to sell goods to the community. Visitors can get produce and food there, as well as nutrition tips and suggestions on environmentally friendly practices for home and commuting. The committee has made bicycle safety a priority and this is the third year we have donated bicycle helmets.
About Project KidSafe
Breakstone, White & Gluck has donated over 10,000 bicycle helmets to children in Massachusetts through our Project KidSafe campaign. We launched our campaign in 2013, with a simple goal: to help children ride safely and prevent head injuries. This year, we are proud to donate helmets to children at community events in Boston, Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville, Dedham, Worcester and other communities. We are also making donations to more than 10 local police departments.
Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates 300 Bicycle Helmets to Help Somerville Students Ride Safe
Attorney Marc Breakstone visited Somerville yesterday to help distribute new bicycle helmets to fifth-graders. But first he wanted to talk about their commitment to bicycle safety. “Is everyone ready to take a pledge?” he asked.
Click the video to watch:
For the third year, Breakstone, White & Gluck was pleased to donate 300 bicycle helmets to fifth graders in Somerville schools who completed the CYCLE Kids curriculum, which teaches bicycle riding and safety. Attorney Breakstone visited with about 60 students at the Dr. Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park and helped hand out the new bicycle helmets and certificates of completion for the CYCLE Kids training program.
Breakstone, White & Gluck is committed to helping children ride bicycles safely. Since 2013, we have donated over 10,000 bicycle helmets as part of our Project KidSafe campaign. Every year has brought a donation in Somerville, which actively promotes bicycle safety for children, through the schools, dedicated school resource officers and community organizations which promote safety events.
Our goal is simple: to encourage children to wear helmets and prevent head injuries in falls and bicycle accidents. Massachusetts law requires cyclists who are 16 years old and younger to wear bicycle helmets, though it is recommended for cyclists of all ages.
CYCLE Kids is a Cambridge non-profit organization which provides bicycle safety and nutrition curriculum for schools across the country. Locally, Cambridge and Somerville schools teach the curriculum in physical education classes.
Attorney Marc Breakstone with the fifth-graders from the Dr. Albert F. Argenziano School in Somerville.
The Somerville fifth graders who completed the CYCLE Kids curriculum learned how to ride a bicycle, safety skills such as wearing a helmet and using hand signals and nutrition fundamentals. Students are also encouraged to share their experience – and any fears they have – through essay writing.
“It can be scary for the kids who don’t know how to ride,” physical education Kris Savage said. “It is a brave thing for them to ride in front of their peers.”
Breakstone, White & Gluck coordinated the donation with CYCLE Kids, Somerville Public Schools and Somerville Police Officer Marianne Manfra. Attorney Breakstone, Officer Manfra and Kris Savage, physical education teacher at the Argenziano School, handed out the new Project KidSafe bike helmets to the children.
This year, we learned one of the fifth-graders who received a new bicycle helmet had taken his own steps for bike safety for his school and classmates. Caleb Piehl won the Saris National Bicycle Poster Contest last fall. As part of his prize, he won a trip to the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C. in March, a new Scwhinn bicycle, safety gear and a great prize for the school: a new 20-rack bicycle parking system that can track users’ mileage.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
Breakstone, White & Gluck is a Boston personal injury law firm which is committed to the safety of all bicyclists in Massachusetts. We have over 100 years combined experience representing bicyclists injured by the negligence of others. If you, or a member of your family, has been injured in a bicycle incident, please feel free to contact us for a free legal consultation at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form. Thank you and RIDE SAFE!
Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates 100 Children’s Bicycle Helmets to Norwood Police, Norwood Bike Safety Day
With a donation from Breakstone, White & Gluck, Norwood Police distributed free bicycle helmets to children who needed one at Norwood Bike Safety Day over the weekend.
Attorney David W. White with Norwood Police Chief William G. Brooks III and Officer Paul Murphy. Photo courtesy: @ChiefBrooksNPD.
This is the second year Breakstone, White & Gluck has donated helmets for distribution on Bike Safety Day, which was held at the Balch Elementary School. Bike Safety Day was organized by the Norwood Police Department and the Norwood Bike Depot, a local bicycle shop. Norwood Police school resource officers and the Mountain Bicycle Unit were out to meet the community.
Parents and children had the opportunity to learn how to fit a bicycle helmet directly from police officers. Bicycle safety inspections were also offered for all ages.
Breakstone, White & Gluck donated the bicycle helmets as part of our Project KidSafe campaign, which has donated over 10,000 bicycle helmets in eastern Massachusetts. We launched our campaign in 2013, with a simple goal: to help children ride their bicycles safely and to prevent head injuries.
In Massachusetts, cyclists 16 years old and younger are required to wear a bicycle helmet. By wearing a helmet, cyclists can reduce their chance for head injury by 50 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Yet many cyclists still do not wear helmets.
Breakstone, White & Gluck will make several bicycle helmet donations to local police departments this year. In recent weeks, we have made donations to the Cambridge Police Department as well as the Boston Police Department and others. These are important partnerships because local police departments regularly encounter children who are riding without helmets. By donating a bicycle helmet, we hope to encourage safe riding and create an opportunity for a positive interaction between police and youth.
Bicycle Safety Resources for Parents
We invite you to visit our website and view our bike safety page. There is a video on how to properly fit a bicycle helmet as well as articles on cyclists’ rights in Massachusetts and understanding how car insurance impacts cyclists.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
Breakstone, White & Gluck is a Boston personal injury law firm which is committed to the safety of all bicyclists in Massachusetts. We have over 100 years combined experience representing bicyclists injured by the negligence of others. If you, or a member of your family, has been injured in a bicycle incident, please feel free to contact us for a free legal consultation at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form. Thank you and RIDE SAFE!
Attorney Marc Breakstone Provides Legal Commentary in Boston Globe Article on Former Student’s Negligence Lawsuit Against Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Attorney Marc Breakstone commented as a legal expert in a Boston Globe article this week on Worcester Polytechnical Institute’s (WPI) response to a negligence lawsuit, brought by a former student who was raped while studying abroad. The college responded that the student was partially responsible.
“It’s a strategy that, frankly, often backfires in trial because the jury gets incensed,” Attorney Breakstone said.
This is a comparative negligence argument. This is traditionally an argument defense lawyers try and make for slip-and-fall cases or other accidents. In these cases, juries are left to assign a percentage of blame on the defendant and the plaintiff. In this case, Attorney Breakstone called the use, “repugnant.”
According to The Boston Globe, the student was raped in Puerto Rico, by a security guard who worked at the apartment building where students lived. The security guard was a convicted felon at the time. He has since been convicted for her rape and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The student and her parents have sued WPI, alleging the school failed to properly ensure the apartment building was safe for students. The lawsuit was filed against WPI and several administrators and seeks unspecified damages from the college, including legal costs.
In response, WPI’s attorneys have asserted the victim was partially responsible because she ignored the information and training provided by the college, as well as her own common sense, and she drank excessively that night and followed the security guard onto the roof, where the crime occurred.
About Attorney Marc Breakstone
Attorney Marc Breakstone has established a reputation as one of the top medical malpractice and personal injury lawyers in Massachusetts and New England. He has represented clients in Massachusetts for 30 years. He works tirelessly to ensure his clients receive full and fair compensation as well as achieve the most favorable medical result.
He has been recognized as a Top 100 New England Super Lawyer, a Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyer and a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice. He regularly provides legal commentary to the media on complex cases involving negligence, medical malpractice and transportation.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
The Boston personal injury attorneys at Breakstone, White & Gluck have over 100 years combined experience handling motor vehicle accident cases resulting in serious personal injury or wrongful death. If you have been injured, it is important to learn your rights. For a free legal consultation, contact us at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form.
Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates Children’s Bicycle Helmets for Lexington Bike Walk ‘n Bus Week
Cyclists of all ages came out strong for Lexington’s Bike Walk ‘n Bus Week in May. Breakstone, White & Gluck was pleased to donate bicycle helmets to children who needed one at events such as the Bike Smart Class for fourth- and fifth-graders and the Bike Art Contest. With each helmet given, children and parents were shown how to properly fit them on their own.
We are also happy to see these two little cyclists stopped by for a Project KidSafe helmet. Thanks ArtsOffRoad Lexington for sending along the photos.
Photos courtesy: ArtsOffRoad Lexington.
Bike Walk ‘n Bus Week was held from May 14-22 and coincided with Bay State Bike Week. While the rest of the state celebrated cycling, Lexington focused on bicycling, walking and encouraging use of alternate transportation, such as buses.
The organizers were the Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee, Greenways Corridor and Massachusetts Safe Routes to School. Events included breakfasts, bike rides, a bike parade and bike maintenance workshops.
There are two active committees representing cyclists in Lexington: the Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Friends of Lexington Bikeways, which coordinated the bicycle helmet donation from Breakstone, White & Gluck. Because of their work and the strong local interest in cycling, Lexington was named a bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Cyclists in 2015.
Breakstone, White & Gluck donated 140 bicycle helmets in Lexington this Spring. It is the third year we have made a donation and it is nice to see the community’s interest. In addition to Bike Walk ‘n Bus Walk Week, Lexington Police gave out bike helmets at Discovery Day on May 28th and showed children and families how to properly fit them.
Breakstone, White & Gluck donated the bicycle helmets as part of our Project KidSafe campaign. Since 2013, we have donated more than 10,000 bicycle helmets to help children prevent head injuries and ride their bicycles safely.
Read about our past events and donations here.
Attorney Ronald Gluck Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Truck Driver and Company in Cyclist’s Death
The family of Dr. Anita Kurmann, who was tragically hit and killed by a truck last summer in Back Bay, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the truck driver and the trucking company. Attorney Ronald E. Gluck of Breakstone, White & Gluck filed the lawsuit on behalf of the family in Suffolk Superior Court. The Boston Globe reported on the case on May 19, 2016.
Read The Boston Globe article, “Family of cyclist killed in Back Bay last year sues truck driver.”
Bay State Bike Week 2016: Have Fun and Be Safe
Welcome back cyclists! Bay State Bike Week is here and many of you are commuting to work for competition, attending commuter breakfasts, and participating in events to make this work week pass a little faster. The goals are to help protect the environment, reduce traffic congestion, get a little exercise, and have fun with other cyclists.
Attorney David White and Marc Breakstone on Boston City Hall Plaza with our Project KidSafe tent and Project KidSafe helmets during Bay State Bike Week 2015. The event was Bike Friday and it was organized by Boston Bikes.
Breakstone, White & Gluck is pleased to participate as well. On Friday morning, we will join cyclists at the Bike to Work Day event on Boston City Hall Plaza. If you attend, please stop by our Project KidSafe tent and say hello to some of our lawyers! Boston Bikes is organizing the event.
Have fun and, as always, ride safely. Here are a few bicycling safety resources from our lawyers, MassBike, the Boston Cyclists Union, and other organizations:
Massachusetts Bicyclists’ Rights and Responsibilities
Our checklist of rights and responsibilities for bicyclists and motorists. Read more.
Wear a Bicycle Helmet
To help protect children and families, Breakstone, White & Gluck donates children’s bicycle helmets through our Project KidSafe campaign. Over four years, we have given away over 10,000 brand-new helmets to children who need one. Along the way, we often meet parents who want their children to be fitted for a helmet but do not have one of their own.
Every cyclist needs a bicycle helmet to protect themselves from a head injury in a crash. Bay State Bike Week is a good time check your existing helmet to see if it needs to be replaced. If it is worn or cracked, it is time for a new one! Learn how to properly fit a helmet. Here is a video with instruction:
“Shifting Gears: Bicyclists & Public Safety”
This 11-minute video was produced by MassBike, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Boston Police Department. The video was developed to provide police officers instruction on the laws for cyclists and motorists. But it is a good resource for any cyclist or driver.
Specific topics covered in the video include bicyclists’ right to use the road, dooring, safe passing, yielding to bicyclists on turns, parking in bike lanes, bicyclists’ compliance with rules of the road, hand signals, yielding to pedestrians, lights at night, wrong-way bicycling, and crash investigation.
What Every Massachusetts Bicyclist Needs to Know About Car Insurance
While we hope cyclists are never injured, it can make all the difference in the world to understand how your auto insurance policy works. Many cyclists do not realize this, but you can purchase extra coverage on your auto insurance to protect yourself if you are injured on a bicycle. This is important because there may be times when a driver does not have adequate insurance and you need to rely on your own coverage. Read more.
Facts About Cycling in Massachusetts
We answer questions about lights, hand signals, parking and more. Read more.
Trucks vs. Bikes
The Boston Cyclists Union has published this sheet to educate cyclists on the dangers they face when approached by some large trucks. Please read the sheet so you understand some of the risks.
According to Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, nearly half of all bicyclists and more than one-quarter of pedestrians killed in large truck crashes first impact the side of a truck. When a truck has high clearance, a cyclist can fall in the space between the front and rear wheels.
Mandated sideguard on large trucks have reduced cyclist deaths by 61 percent and serious injuries by 13 percent, according to a Transport for London study.
In October 2014, the City of Boston passed an ordinance, requiring truck sideguards, convex mirrors, blind spot awareness decals for city contracted trucks and tractor-trailers of a certain weight. Many trucks do not have to comply with the law, but this may change in the future. Legislation has been proposed to require truck sideguards statewide.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
Breakstone, White & Gluck is a Boston personal injury law firm which is committed to the safety of all bicyclists in Massachusetts. We have over 100 years combined experience representing bicyclists injured by the negligence of others. If you, or a member of your family, has been injured in a bicycle incident, please feel free to contact us for a free legal consultation at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form. Thank you and RIDE SAFE!
Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates Children’s Bicycle Helmets to Boston School and Cambridge Medical Clinic
As part of our Project KidSafe campaign, Breakstone, White & Gluck recently made two donations to help children in Boston and Cambridge ride their bicycles safely.
Windsor Street Care Center
Breakstone, White & Gluck was pleased to donate 100 bicycle helmets to the Windsor Street Care Center in Cambridge. This is the second year we have partnered with the center. Doctors and staff give the helmets to children who need one, while also showing parents and older children how to properly fit the helmets themselves.
Haynes Early Education Center
Breakstone, White & Gluck was also pleased to donate 75 bicycle helmets for the Healthy Families Event at Haynes Early Education Center, which is part of the Boston public school system. The school, which is located in Roxbury, serves children in kindergarten and grade 1. The Healthy Families Event was held in late March to provide families with safety information before the Spring cycling season.
The Importance of Bicycle Helmets
Breakstone, White & Gluck cares about the safety of cyclists. Since 2013, our law firm has donated over 10,000 bicycle helmets to children in eastern Massachusetts through our Project KidSafe campaign.
Our goal is to encourage children to wear bicycle helmets starting early. Wearing a bicycle helmet is a simple and effective way to protect a cyclist from a head injury. But the key is the helmet must be in good condition and properly fit. Parents also play a critical role, by wearing a bicycle helmet to set a good example for their children.
Massachusetts law requires any person 16 years old or younger riding a bicycle to wear a helmet. By wearing a helmet, cyclists can reduce their chance for head injury by 50 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Other studies have found bicycle helmets have an even greater impact in protecting children from falls or bicycle accidents.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
Breakstone, White & Gluck is a Boston personal injury law firm which is committed to the safety of all bicyclists in Massachusetts. We have over 100 years combined experience representing bicyclists injured by the negligence of others. If you, or a member of your family, has been injured in a bicycle incident, please feel free to contact us for a free legal consultation at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form. Thank you and RIDE SAFE!
Breakstone, White & Gluck Donates Bicycle Helmets to Kids in Easthampton
Breakstone, White & Gluck was pleased to donate 140 bicycle helmets to children in Easthampton yesterday, with help from many hands in the community who care about bicycle safety.
We donated the helmets through our Project KidSafe campaign at an “Event to Celebrate Bike Safety in Easthampton,” organized by the Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition, the Easthampton Public Schools, the Easthampton Police Department and Northwest District Attorney David E. Sullivan’s office.
Photo: School Resource Officer Alan Schadel; Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan; Stephen Linsky and Ruth Ever of the Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition; Attorney David W. White of Breakstone, White & Gluck and from the schools, Nancy Follansbee, Superintendent of Easthampton Schools; Judy Averill; Maple School Principal, Allison Rebello, Principal of Center and Pepin elementary schools; Andrea McCallum, Assistant Principal at Center Elementary School.
The children who received the helmets attend elementary school. In some cases, school administrators selected students who rode bikes and had no access to a safe helmet. But for the most part, children were sent home from school with a flyer and given the opportunity to sign up for a free bicycle helmet raffle.
Children and parents showed up together yesterday at the Easthampton Public Safety Complex. Some of the families came in on the Manhan Rail Trail, a six-mile cycling path which runs through Easthampton and stops at the building.
Attorney David White and School Resource Officer Alan Schadel fit the helmets for the kids. It was a great event because the children and parents were so interested in learning about the proper way to fit a helmet. The Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition offered kids reflectors and other safety accessories to ride safely.
Breakstone, White & Gluck is now in our fourth year of the Project KidSafe campaign and has donated over 10,000 bicycle helmets to children in Massachusetts. Our goal is to keep children safe and prevent traumatic brain injuries from bicycle accidents. Cyclists of all ages can help protect themselves by wearing a helmet which properly fits, every time they ride. By wearing a helmet, cyclists reduce their chance for head injury by 50 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
For help fitting a bicycle helmet, watch the video on our website: www.bwglaw.com/project-kidsafe/.
Breakstone, White & Gluck donated 140 of these bicycle helmets to children in the Easthampton public schools.
Attorney David White getting the kids excited about riding their bicycles, safely. He asked each child to promise to wear their helmet every time they ride.
Attorney David White and a young cyclist who received a bicycle helmet.
Easthampton School Resource Officer Alan Schadel helps a child with his new bicycle helmet.
Children who needed a helmet signed these flyers to enter a raffle.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
Breakstone, White & Gluck is a Boston personal injury law firm which is committed to the safety of all bicyclists in Massachusetts. We have over 100 years combined experience representing bicyclists injured by the negligence of others. If you, or a member of your family, has been injured in a bicycle incident, please feel free to contact us for a free legal consultation at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form. Thank you and RIDE SAFE!
Breakstone, White & Gluck and Cambridge Police Team Up for Children’s Bike Helmet Giveaway During National Bike Safety Month
With a donation from Breakstone, White & Gluck, the Cambridge Police Department will distribute bicycle helmets to children who need one during National Bike Safety Month.
Photo: Attorney Ronald Gluck and David White of Breakstone, White & Gluck gather with children at the Cambridgeport School, Assistant Principal Audrey M. Sturgis and Cambridge police officers Che Santos and Anthony Santiago. Breakstone, White & Gluck was pleased to donate children’s bicycle helmets to the Cambridge Police Department for National Bike Safety Month in May 2016.
Cambridge Police has announced its first “helmet voucher” program as part of its National Bike Safety Month initiatives in May. Police officers will specifically be looking for children who are riding bicycles without a helmet throughout May and hand them a “helmet voucher,” which can be redeemed for a free bicycle helmet at the Cambridge Police Department.
Breakstone, White & Gluck donated 140 bicycle helmets to the Cambridge Police in hopes of keeping children safe and preventing traumatic brain injuries from bicycle accidents. The donation was part of our Project KidSafe campaign, which has donated more than 10,000 bicycle helmets to children since 2013.
Massachusetts law requires any person 16 years old or younger riding a bicycle to wear a helmet. By wearing a helmet, cyclists can reduce their chance for head injury by 50 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
This is a special donation and Attorney Ron Gluck and Attorney David White joined Cambridge Police at the Cambridgeport School for an unofficial kick off last week. Here are some photos:
Attorney Ron Gluck and Attorney David White join children at the Cambridgeport School along with Audrey M. Sturgis, assistant principal, and Cambridge police officers Che Santos and Anthony Santiago, to kick off the bike helmet giveaway during National Bike Safety Month.
Attorney David White helps a child fit a bicycle helmet.
Attorney Ron Gluck finishes fitting a helmet.
Cambridge police officers will distribute the bicycle helmets – and also show children how to properly fit them.
Cambridge Police will distribute these vouchers to children who are not wearing bicycle helmets during May.
For more information on how to properly fit a bicycle helmet, visit our Project KidSafe webpage.
About Breakstone, White & Gluck
Breakstone, White & Gluck is a Boston personal injury law firm which is committed to the safety of all bicyclists in Massachusetts. We have over 100 years combined experience representing bicyclists injured by the negligence of others. If you, or a member of your family, has been injured in a bicycle incident, please feel free to contact us for a free legal consultation at 800-379-1244 or 617-723-7676 or use our contact form. Thank you and RIDE SAFE!