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Plymouth · Plymouth County

Plymouth, MA Bicycle Accidents Attorney

If a car hit you on a bike in Plymouth, 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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth.

What the state's crash records show for Plymouth

Massachusetts publishes every reported crash through the MassDOT IMPACT open data system. Across 2022 to 2024, Plymouth recorded 2,734 reported crashes, of which 785 involved an injury and 8 were fatal. That places Plymouth number 36 of 349 Massachusetts cities and towns by total reported crashes. Plymouth alone accounts for 0.7 percent of every crash reported in the commonwealth over those three years.

Of those, 27 involved a bicycle and 27 involved a pedestrian. Plymouth ranks number 40 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 Plymouth is the single vehicle crash. Rear-end collisions, where one vehicle runs into the back of another, were 27.3 percent of Plymouth's reported crashes; angle collisions, where vehicles meet because their paths cross, 17.1 percent; and single vehicle crashes, which involve one motor vehicle, 33.5 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 Plymouth in the most recent year of data:

  • State Road58 crashes
  • Long Pond Road36 crashes
  • Samoset Street34 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 Plymouth crash report and the statewide Massachusetts crash report.

Source: MassDOT IMPACT open crash data, 2022 to 2024. Updated monthly.

Courts that serve Plymouth for bicycle accidents matters

Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, Plymouth is in the judicial district of the Third District Court of Plymouth, which also covers Kingston, Plympton, Pembroke, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanson and Marshfield. Plymouth is in Plymouth County, so a Superior Court case brought by a Plymouth resident goes to the Plymouth 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.

CourtWhat it hearsDistrict or address
Third District Court of PlymouthCivil claims up to $50,000Plymouth, Kingston, Plympton, Pembroke, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanson and Marshfield
Plymouth Superior CourtCivil claims over $50,00072 Belmont Street, Brockton, MA 02301

First steps

  1. Get medical care and keep every record. Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth is among the hospitals listed for Plymouth, and the firm requests the records itself once you sign an authorization.
  2. 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.
  3. Know the court: the Third District Court of Plymouth hears claims up to $50,000 and the Plymouth Superior Court hears larger ones.
  4. 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 Plymouth serves Plymouth, Kingston, Plympton, Pembroke, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanson and Marshfield.
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).

Plymouth 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.

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth 275 Sandwich St, Plymouth, MA 02360

The firm requests records from any Massachusetts provider on the medical chain, listed here or not.

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What do Plymouth residents most often ask?

  • Which District Court covers Plymouth?

    Under M.G.L. c. 218, sec. 1, Plymouth is in the judicial district of the Third District Court of Plymouth, which also covers Kingston, Plympton, Pembroke, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanson and Marshfield.

  • 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 Plymouth, that is Plymouth County, and the Plymouth Superior Court sits at 72 Belmont Street, Brockton, MA 02301.

  • How many crashes does the state record here?

    MassDOT's open crash records list 2,734 reported crashes in Plymouth across 2022 to 2024, of which 785 involved an injury and 8 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.

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