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Auto Accidents Attorneys Serving Fall River Residents
After a car crash in Fall River, 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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The short answer for Fall River
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 Fall River.
What the state's crash records show for Fall River
Massachusetts publishes every reported crash through the MassDOT IMPACT open data system. Across 2022 to 2024, Fall River recorded 9,045 reported crashes, of which 2,286 involved an injury and 11 were fatal. That places Fall River number 5 of 349 Massachusetts cities and towns by total reported crashes. Fall River alone accounts for 2.2 percent of every crash reported in the commonwealth over those three years.
The same records count 213 crashes involving a pedestrian and 65 involving a bicycle in Fall River 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 Fall River is the angle collision. Rear-end collisions, where one vehicle runs into the back of another, were 23.6 percent of Fall River's reported crashes; angle collisions, where vehicles meet because their paths cross, 31.6 percent; and single vehicle crashes, which involve one motor vehicle, 15.5 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 Fall River in the most recent year of data:
- Pleasant Street117 crashes
- Plymouth Avenue114 crashes
- North Main Street109 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 Fall River crash report and the statewide Massachusetts crash report.
Source: MassDOT IMPACT open crash data, 2022 to 2024. Updated monthly.
Courts that serve Fall River for auto accidents matters
Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, Fall River is in the judicial district of the Second District Court of Bristol, which also covers Somerset, Swansea, Freetown and Westport. Fall River is in Bristol County, so a Superior Court case brought by a Fall River resident goes to the Bristol 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Second District Court of Bristol | Civil claims up to $50,000 | Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, Freetown and Westport |
| Bristol Superior Court | Civil claims over $50,000 | 9 Court Street, Taunton, MA 02780 |
First steps
- Get medical care and keep every record. Charlton Memorial Hospital (Southcoast) is among the hospitals listed for Fall River, 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 Second District Court of Bristol hears claims up to $50,000 and the Bristol 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 Second District Court of Bristol serves Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, Freetown and Westport.
- 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).
Fall River 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.
- Charlton Memorial Hospital (Southcoast) 363 Highland Ave, Fall River, MA 02720
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.
Results as published by Jim Glaser Law on jimglaserlaw.com. Results vary and depend on the facts of each case. See all results
Recent settlementsSettlement summaries from Jim Glaser Law's own case files, without client names.
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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Common questions from Fall River
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Which District Court covers Fall River?
Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, Fall River is in the judicial district of the Second District Court of Bristol, which also covers Somerset, Swansea, Freetown and Westport.
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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 Fall River, that is Bristol County, and the Bristol Superior Court sits at 9 Court Street, Taunton, MA 02780.
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How many crashes does the state record here?
MassDOT's open crash records list 9,045 reported crashes in Fall River across 2022 to 2024, of which 2,286 involved an injury and 11 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 sub-entry constitutes legal information, not legal advice. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Attorney advertising under Mass. R. Prof. C. 7.1 to 7.5. Responsible attorney: Jim Glaser, Massachusetts.