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Medford Bicycle Accidents Law Firm
If a car hit you on a bike in Medford, 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).
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What Medford 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 Medford.
What the state's crash records show for Medford
Massachusetts publishes every reported crash through the MassDOT IMPACT open data system. Across 2022 to 2024, Medford recorded 3,977 reported crashes, of which 741 involved an injury and 5 were fatal. That places Medford number 19 of 349 Massachusetts cities and towns by total reported crashes. Medford alone accounts for 1.0 percent of every crash reported in the commonwealth over those three years.
Of those, 64 involved a bicycle and 82 involved a pedestrian. Medford ranks number 14 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 Medford is the rear-end collision. Rear-end collisions, where one vehicle runs into the back of another, were 27.3 percent of Medford's reported crashes; angle collisions, where vehicles meet because their paths cross, 25.4 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 Medford in the most recent year of data:
- Salem Street25 crashes
- Main Street24 crashes
- 21 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 Medford crash report and the statewide Massachusetts crash report.
Source: MassDOT IMPACT open crash data, 2022 to 2024. Updated monthly.
Courts that serve Medford for bicycle accidents matters
Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, Medford is in the judicial district of the District Court of Somerville, which also covers Somerville. Medford is in Middlesex County, so a Superior Court case brought by a Medford resident goes to the Middlesex 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 Somerville | Civil claims up to $50,000 | Medford and Somerville |
| Middlesex Superior Court | Civil claims over $50,000 | 200 Trade Center, Woburn, MA 01801 |
First steps
- Get medical care and keep every record. Cambridge Hospital (CHA) and Mount Auburn Hospital are among the hospitals listed for Middlesex 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 Somerville hears claims up to $50,000 and the Middlesex 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 Somerville serves Medford and Somerville.
- 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).
Middlesex 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.
- Cambridge Hospital (CHA) 1493 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Mount Auburn Hospital 330 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Lowell General Hospital 295 Varnum Ave, Lowell, MA 01854
- Newton-Wellesley Hospital 2014 Washington St, Newton, MA 02462
The firm requests records from any Massachusetts provider on the medical chain, listed here or not.
Talk to the firm about your bicycle 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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What do Medford residents most often ask?
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Which District Court covers Medford?
Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, Medford is in the judicial district of the District Court of Somerville, which also covers Somerville.
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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 Medford, that is Middlesex County, and the Middlesex Superior Court sits at 200 Trade Center, Woburn, MA 01801.
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How many crashes does the state record here?
MassDOT's open crash records list 3,977 reported crashes in Medford across 2022 to 2024, of which 741 involved an injury and 5 were fatal. A reported crash says nothing about fault, which is decided under M.G.L. c. 231, sec. 85.
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Information on this page is published as 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.