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New Bedford, MA Auto Accidents Attorney
After a car crash in New Bedford, 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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What New Bedford residents should know about auto accidents
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 New Bedford.
What the state's crash records show for New Bedford
Massachusetts publishes every reported crash through the MassDOT IMPACT open data system. Across 2022 to 2024, New Bedford recorded 11,070 reported crashes, of which 2,330 involved an injury and 14 were fatal. That places New Bedford number 4 of 349 Massachusetts cities and towns by total reported crashes. New Bedford alone accounts for 2.7 percent of every crash reported in the commonwealth over those three years.
The same records count 197 crashes involving a pedestrian and 99 involving a bicycle in New Bedford 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 New Bedford is the angle collision. Rear-end collisions, where one vehicle runs into the back of another, were 21.5 percent of New Bedford's reported crashes; angle collisions, where vehicles meet because their paths cross, 32.5 percent; and single vehicle crashes, which involve one motor vehicle, 12.5 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 New Bedford in the most recent year of data:
- Acushnet Avenue117 crashes
- County Street94 crashes
- Ashley Boulevard79 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 New Bedford crash report and the statewide Massachusetts crash report.
Source: MassDOT IMPACT open crash data, 2022 to 2024. Updated monthly.
Courts that serve New Bedford for auto accidents matters
Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, New Bedford is in the judicial district of the Third District Court of Bristol, which also covers Fairhaven, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Freetown and Westport. New Bedford is in Bristol County, so a Superior Court case brought by a New Bedford 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Third District Court of Bristol | Civil claims up to $50,000 | New Bedford, Fairhaven, Acushnet, Dartmouth, 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. St. Luke's Hospital (Southcoast) is among the hospitals listed for New Bedford, 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 Third 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 Third District Court of Bristol serves New Bedford, Fairhaven, Acushnet, Dartmouth, 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).
New Bedford 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.
- St. Luke's Hospital (Southcoast) 101 Page St, New Bedford, MA 02740
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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What do New Bedford residents most often ask?
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Which District Court covers New Bedford?
Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, New Bedford is in the judicial district of the Third District Court of Bristol, which also covers Fairhaven, Acushnet, Dartmouth, 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 New Bedford, 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 11,070 reported crashes in New Bedford across 2022 to 2024, of which 2,330 involved an injury and 14 were fatal. A reported crash says nothing about fault, which is decided under M.G.L. c. 231, sec. 85.
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Browse every question in the Massachusetts legal answers library.
This page is legal information for $New Bedford, 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.