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Chicopee, MA Auto Accidents Attorney
After a car crash in Chicopee, Massachusetts law gives you two separate claims: Personal Injury Protection from your own policy, which pays the first $8,000 of medical bills and lost wages whoever was at fault, and a claim against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering once your medical bills pass $2,000 or you have a fracture, a permanent injury or a disfigurement (M.G.L. c. 90, sec. 34M; c. 231, sec. 6D).
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Chicopee: the short answer
Massachusetts is a no-fault auto insurance state. Your own PIP coverage pays the first $8,000 of medical bills regardless of fault. To sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering you generally must meet a $2,000 medical-bill threshold or have a permanent injury, disfigurement, or fracture. Jim Glaser Law evaluates your case at no cost. Auto matters are accepted on contingency, meaning no attorney's fee unless and until the matter resolves with a recovery to the client; case-related costs and expenses are addressed in the written fee agreement.
The full Massachusetts rules, statutes and typical timeline are on the auto accidents page; this page covers what is specific to Chicopee.
What the state's crash records show for Chicopee
Massachusetts publishes every reported crash through the MassDOT IMPACT open data system. Across 2022 to 2024, Chicopee recorded 5,238 reported crashes, of which 1,193 involved an injury and 22 were fatal. That places Chicopee number 12 of 349 Massachusetts cities and towns by total reported crashes. Chicopee alone accounts for 1.3 percent of every crash reported in the commonwealth over those three years.
The same records count 72 crashes involving a pedestrian and 48 involving a bicycle in Chicopee over that period.
Manner of collision is how the vehicles first came together, as the reporting officer recorded it, and by that measure the most common crash in Chicopee is the rear-end collision. Rear-end collisions, where one vehicle runs into the back of another, were 31.8 percent of Chicopee's reported crashes; angle collisions, where vehicles meet because their paths cross, 20.3 percent; and single vehicle crashes, which involve one motor vehicle, 18.5 percent, against 28.1, 23.9 and 22.9 percent statewide. How that mix varies across Massachusetts, and why it moves the injury and fatal rates, is in what kind of crash is most common in each Massachusetts town.
The roads carrying the most reported crashes in Chicopee in the most recent year of data:
- Memorial Drive203 crashes
- Montgomery Street59 crashes
- Chicopee Street57 crashes
These figures are reported crashes, not claims or lawsuits, and a crash appearing in the state record says nothing about who was at fault. Fault in Massachusetts is decided under the comparative negligence rule of M.G.L. c. 231, sec. 85. Full figures for every Massachusetts community are in the Chicopee crash report and the statewide Massachusetts crash report.
Source: MassDOT IMPACT open crash data, 2022 to 2024. Updated monthly.
Courts that serve Chicopee for auto accidents matters
Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, the District Court of Chicopee has a judicial district of its own that covers Chicopee alone. Chicopee is in Hampden County, so a Superior Court case brought by a Chicopee resident goes to the Hampden Superior Court.
A District Court civil case can be filed in the district where any party lives or has a usual place of business, or in an adjoining district (M.G.L. c. 223, sec. 2). Where the event happened does not decide it.
| Court | What it hears | District or address |
|---|---|---|
| District Court of Chicopee | Civil claims up to $50,000 | Chicopee only |
| Hampden Superior Court | Civil claims over $50,000 | 50 State Street, Springfield, MA 01103 |
First steps
- Get medical care and keep every record. Baystate Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center are among the hospitals listed for Hampden County, and the firm requests the records itself once you sign an authorization.
- If a vehicle was involved, file the operator's crash report within five days when anyone was hurt or damage passed $1,000 (M.G.L. c. 90, sec. 26), and keep the police report number.
- Know the court: the District Court of Chicopee hears claims up to $50,000 and the Hampden Superior Court hears larger ones.
- Call (617) JIM-WINS before you file or appear, so the deadline and the right court are checked against your facts.
Key terms
- Judicial district
- The towns one District Court division serves, as listed in M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1. The District Court of Chicopee serves Chicopee only.
- Venue
- The county or district where a case may be filed. Massachusetts sets it by where the parties live or work (M.G.L. c. 223, secs. 1 and 2).
Hampden County hospitals where treatment records often originate
If you were seen at one of these facilities, the firm requests your treatment records as part of building the documentary record. You do not need to retrieve them yourself; a signed medical authorization at intake gives the firm the access it needs.
- Baystate Medical Center 759 Chestnut St, Springfield, MA 01199 Trauma Level I
- Mercy Medical Center 271 Carew St, Springfield, MA 01104
The firm requests records from any Massachusetts provider on the medical chain, listed here or not.
Talk to the firm about your auto accident matter
Call us 24/7 for a free case review. Or send us your details and we will reach out to you within one business day.
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Plumber Hurt in Hit-and-Run While Driving Company Van
A plumber was driving a company van in the course of his work when another vehicle struck the van from behind and left the scene. Dash-camera footage from the van allowed police to identify the other vehicle, and its owner was cited after repeated attempts to reach him went unanswered. The plumber was injured in the collision.
Client reviews as published on jimglaserlaw.com.
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Frequently asked from Chicopee
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Which District Court covers Chicopee?
Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, the District Court of Chicopee has a judicial district of its own that covers Chicopee alone.
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Where does a Superior Court case go from here?
A Superior Court case is filed in the county where one of the parties lives or has a usual place of business (M.G.L. c. 223, sec. 1). For someone who lives in Chicopee, that is Hampden County, and the Hampden Superior Court sits at 50 State Street, Springfield, MA 01103.
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How many crashes does the state record here?
MassDOT's open crash records list 5,238 reported crashes in Chicopee across 2022 to 2024, of which 1,193 involved an injury and 22 were fatal. A reported crash says nothing about fault, which is decided under M.G.L. c. 231, sec. 85.
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This page is legal information for $Chicopee, Massachusetts readers, not legal advice for any particular matter. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Attorney advertising under Mass. R. Prof. C. 7.1 to 7.5. Responsible attorney: Jim Glaser, Massachusetts.