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.

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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Fall River · Bristol County

Fall River, MA Bicycle Accidents Attorney

If a car hit you on a bike in Fall River, the at-fault driver's auto policy pays your first $8,000 of medical bills and lost wages through PIP regardless of fault (M.G.L. c. 90, sec. 34A), and you can claim pain and suffering once your medical bills pass $2,000 or you have a fracture, a permanent injury or a disfigurement (c. 231, sec. 6D).

Last updated November 4, 2026

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What Fall River residents should know about bicycle accidents

Massachusetts bicyclists struck by a motor vehicle are eligible for Personal Injury Protection benefits from the at-fault driver's auto policy under M.G.L. c. 90 sec. 34A, which generally pays the first $8,000 of medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault. A claim for pain and suffering against the at-fault driver follows the standard tort threshold under M.G.L. c. 231 sec. 6D: at least $2,000 in reasonable and necessary medical expenses, or a permanent injury, disfigurement, fracture, or substantial loss of hearing or sight. Cyclists have the same right to the roadway as motor vehicles under M.G.L. c. 85 sec. 11B, and a motorist who opens a door into the path of a cyclist is subject to M.G.L. c. 90 sec. 14. Adult riders are not required by Massachusetts law to wear a helmet, though riders sixteen years of age and younger must under M.G.L. c. 85 sec. 11B½. Comparative negligence under M.G.L. c. 231 sec. 85 reduces a recovery by the rider's share of fault and bars recovery if the rider is more than 50 percent at fault. Jim Glaser Law evaluates Massachusetts bicycle matters at no cost. Bicycle 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 bicycle 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.

Of those, 65 involved a bicycle and 213 involved a pedestrian. Fall River ranks number 13 in Massachusetts for reported bicycle crashes.

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 bicycle 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.

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What do Fall River residents most often ask?

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.
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.
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.