Do Boston’s narrow streets contribute to wrecks?

If you were recently on the street in Brockton and saw an unusual sight, your eyes weren’t deceiving you. That’s because a speeding driver on Oak Street crashed his Hyundai and wound up with his vehicle partially inside the Webster Bank branch.

The 51-year-old motorist was driving at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 7 when he was unable to negotiate a curve in the narrow road. His Hyundai struck the curb and became airborne before it knocked out a couple of parking signs and a light pole then slammed upside down into the bank building.

The car came to its final rest partially inside of the closed bank. According to a Brockton Fire captain, “It appears he hit the building at a pretty good clip.” The captain noted that the accident caused structural damage to the bank that required stabilization. Still, there was a gaping hole in the wall from the breach.

The driver had to be extricated from the wreckage by first responders. Although the driver remained alert, his chest trauma was severe and required his being taken by helicopter to Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. No updates on the driver’s condition were available.

Police officers working the scene discovered a loaded pistol belonging to the motorist inside the bank. As his license to carry firearms had expired, the driver faces charges of carrying a gun without a license in addition to negligent operation, unlawfully possessing ammunition, marked lane violation, destruction of property and carrying a firearm by an intoxicated licensee.

“Frustrating and sad”

With all the violations, it’s easy to place the blame on the negligent driver, and, indeed, that may be the case. However, it should be noted that a nearby resident was quoted as saying, the road was “a dangerous street and its been a dangerous street all these years and it’s not going to stop.” The resident then added that he didn’t know “what it takes to do something about this road. It’s just frustrating and very sad.”

The problem with so many of the narrow streets here in Boston and in the surrounding communities is that they were designed hundreds of years ago when there was no vehicular traffic at all. Trying to navigate these impossibly tight curves and narrow corridors in today’s large SUVs and other vehicles can increase the risk of accidents and injuries.

If you were injured in an accident due to the barely navigable street designs, you may potentially have a legitimate cause of action to file a personal injury lawsuit.