SOMERVILLE CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER
One careless driver
changes everything.
If another driver’s carelessness hurt you in a Somerville crash, Massachusetts law lets you recover for your medical bills, your lost wages, and the pain that the collision caused.
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What a Somerville car accident lawyer must prove.
A car crash claim in Massachusetts turns on negligence: to recover beyond your own no-fault benefits, you generally must show that another driver failed to use reasonable care, that this caused the collision, and that it caused your injuries and losses. Massachusetts is a no-fault state, which shapes every claim, and understanding how the no-fault system and the right to sue fit together is the first step in knowing what your case is worth.
Under the no-fault system, your own policy pays a set amount of your initial medical bills and lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. To step outside that system and recover for pain and suffering from the at-fault driver, your claim must meet a legal threshold, generally that your medical costs pass a statutory amount or that the injury is serious in specific ways. Insurers know these rules well and use them to keep claims small.
A Somerville car accident lawyer makes sure your no-fault benefits are handled correctly, proves the other driver was at fault, documents that your injury meets the threshold to recover fully, and deals with the insurer so you do not have to. The same team handles the wider matter as a Boston car accident lawyer. Larson Law reviews Somerville crash cases at no cost.
Evidence fades quickly after a crash. Skid marks and debris are cleared, vehicles are repaired, traffic-camera and dashcam footage is overwritten, and witnesses forget. The sooner the scene and the records are preserved and your treatment is documented, the stronger the case for showing how the crash happened and how badly you were hurt.
These cases are personal, too. A serious crash can mean months of treatment, time out of work, and lasting pain. Massachusetts law recognizes not just your bills but the pain, the lost earning power, and the disruption to your life as real, compensable harm, and documenting that full picture is central to what we do.
People often hesitate to call a lawyer after a crash, unsure whether their case is serious enough or worried about cost. Neither should stop you. A short conversation is enough to tell whether a claim is worth pursuing, the review is free, and because these cases are handled on a contingency fee, there is no cost unless we recover for you. The real risk is waiting while the evidence and the deadline slip away.
What our clients say
The other driver's insurer is not on your side.
- We handle car and multi-vehicle crash claims across Somerville and Middlesex County.
- We make sure your no-fault benefits are paid correctly and on time.
- We prove the other driver was at fault and that your injury meets the threshold.
- We preserve the crash evidence, from camera footage to the vehicle damage.
- We deal with the insurer so you are not pushed into a quick, low settlement.
- No fee unless we win
- No upfront costs
- Direct attorney access
- Free case review
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How Massachusetts car accident
law works.
The no-fault system
Every Massachusetts auto policy includes personal injury protection, which pays a set portion of your medical bills and lost wages after a crash regardless of fault. These benefits come from your own insurer and are meant to cover the earliest costs, but they are capped, and the insurer can dispute what it owes, which is where problems often begin.
The threshold to recover fully
To recover for pain and suffering from the at-fault driver, Massachusetts requires your claim to meet a tort threshold under MGL Chapter 231 Section 6D, generally that your reasonable medical expenses exceed a set statutory amount, or that the injury involves a fracture, permanent disfigurement, or loss of a sense. Proving the threshold is met is often a key issue in the case.
Comparative fault
Massachusetts follows modified comparative negligence under MGL Chapter 231 Section 85, so you can recover as long as you were not more than 50 percent at fault, with your compensation reduced by your share. Insurers routinely try to pin extra blame on the injured driver, which an independent crash investigation can counter.
The deadline to file
Most Massachusetts car-crash claims must be filed within three years of the collision under MGL Chapter 260 Section 2A. Waiting risks the loss of the physical evidence, camera footage, and witness memories that prove fault, so the strongest claims are built while that proof still exists.
Uninsured and underinsured drivers
When the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little to cover a serious injury, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage can step in to pay the difference. These claims are made against your own insurer, which, despite being your own company, will still work to limit what it pays, so the same careful proof is required.
More than one insurer
A single crash can bring in several insurers: your own no-fault carrier, the at-fault driver’s liability insurer, and your uninsured-motorist coverage, each with its own interest in paying less. Coordinating these claims, and making sure none is missed, is part of building a full recovery rather than settling for the first number offered.
Where a Somerville car accident lawyer looks after a crash.
Somerville packs heavy traffic into one of the most densely built cities in New England, and its crashes reflect that. McGrath Highway, Route 28, and Interstate 93 carry fast commuter traffic; Somerville Avenue, Washington Street, Broadway, and the streets around Union Square and Assembly Square mix cars, cyclists, buses, and pedestrians at busy, often complicated intersections. Rear-end collisions, intersection crashes, and turning collisions here injure drivers, passengers, cyclists, and people on foot alike.
People hurt in these crashes are often treated at the CHA Somerville Campus or at Massachusetts General Hospital nearby, and the records created there become central proof of the injury. A claim from this area is generally heard in Somerville District Court, while larger cases proceed in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. A collision that crosses into a neighboring city may also involve that city’s roads and a second insurer, which we account for from the start.
The injuries in these crashes range from whiplash and broken bones to spinal and head injuries, and the more serious the injury, the more the long-term costs matter and the harder the insurer fights. Documenting the full arc of treatment and recovery, not just the first emergency visit, is central to valuing any Somerville crash claim honestly.
What most claims come down to is not whether a crash happened but who was at fault and whether the injury clears the threshold to recover fully. Insurers dispute fault, question the seriousness of injuries, and press for quick settlements. Answering that takes evidence gathered early, including the crash report, vehicle damage, camera footage, and witness accounts, which is why the first days after a crash matter so much.
Because Somerville borders Cambridge, Medford, and Boston and carries so much through traffic, many crashes here involve out-of-town drivers and more than one insurance company. Sorting out who was responsible and which policies apply is part of the early work on a claim, so that no source of compensation is missed.
What a car accident claim
can recover.
The value of a car accident claim depends on the severity of the injury and how it changes your life, not on a formula. A crash that involves surgery, time out of work, or a permanent limitation is worth far more than a minor one, but only when the injury and its effects are fully documented and the other driver’s fault is clearly established. The categories below are the ones our clients most often recover.
Reaching the full value depends on proof. It means gathering the medical records and expert opinions that show the future cost of care, documenting time missed from work and any lasting limit on your earning power, and tying each loss back to the crash. Because the insurer will question every figure, a claim that is carefully built and supported is far harder to discount.
Serious crashes also carry costs that are easy to overlook at first, from future surgeries and physical therapy to the income lost when someone cannot return to the same job. Accounting for those long-term effects, not just the immediate bills, is often what separates a full recovery from a claim that settles short.
Medical Bills and Future Treatment Costs
Lost Wages and Earning Capacity
Pain, Suffering, and Psychological Harm
Scarring and Permanent Disfigurement
Hurt in a Somerville crash? Three steps to protect your claim.
Call the police and get checked out
Call the police so there is an official crash report, and get medical care the same day even if you feel alright, because injuries like whiplash and concussions can surface many hours after the crash.
Photograph the scene and the damage
If you safely can, photograph the vehicles, their positions, the road, and any signals, and collect the other driver's details and the names of any witnesses, because this evidence disappears quickly.
Let us take on your insurer for you
Let us handle your no-fault benefits, prove the other driver was at fault, show your injury meets the threshold, and deal with the insurers, so you can focus fully on recovering from the crash itself.
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Talk with a Somerville car accident lawyer today, at no cost.
Whether the insurer has made a low offer, is disputing fault, or claims your injury does not meet the threshold, the point where you feel outmatched is exactly where representation helps most. The sooner you call, the sooner we can preserve the evidence, handle your no-fault benefits, and document your injuries. There is no cost to speak with us and no fee unless we win. As a Boston personal injury attorney, Larson Law reviews your Somerville crash case and takes it over from there.
When you call, we will talk through how the crash happened, the injuries you suffered, and what the insurer is doing, then explain the steps we would take. There is no obligation and no cost for that conversation.
By submitting this form, you acknowledge that doing so does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not include confidential information. Contacting us does not obligate you to retain our services.
Our Clients.
Our Practice Areas.
We handle car crashes and the full range of serious-injury claims across Boston and its surrounding cities. When a collision causes a head injury, our work as a Boston brain injury lawyer guides the medical proof, and when a rider is hurt, the same team handles the claim as a Boston motorcycle accident lawyer.
Car accident questions,
answered directly.
Massachusetts is a no-fault state. Can I still sue the other driver?
Yes, in many cases. No-fault means your own policy pays the first portion of your medical bills and lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. To go beyond that and recover for pain and suffering from the at-fault driver, your claim must meet a legal threshold based on the seriousness of your injury or the amount of your medical costs. When it does, you can pursue a full claim against the driver who hurt you.
What is the tort threshold, and how do I meet it?
The tort threshold is the line you must cross to sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering. It is generally met if your reasonable medical expenses pass a set statutory amount, or if the injury involves a fracture, permanent disfigurement, or loss of a sense. Proving the threshold is met often depends on complete medical documentation, which is one reason consistent treatment matters so much.
The insurer says I was partly at fault. What now?
That is a common tactic, and it does not necessarily defeat your claim. Massachusetts lets you recover as long as you were not more than half at fault, with your compensation reduced by your share. Insurers often exaggerate the injured driver’s fault to cut what they pay. An independent look at the crash, using the report, the vehicle damage, and any footage, is what keeps that argument in check.
What if the other driver had no insurance?
You may still be covered. If the at-fault driver had no insurance or too little to cover your injuries, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage can step in to pay the difference. These claims are made against your own insurer, which will still work to limit what it pays, so the same careful proof of fault and injury is required as in any other claim.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim?
Most Massachusetts car-crash claims must be filed within three years of the date of the collision. Some situations, such as a crash involving a government vehicle, carry shorter deadlines. Waiting also lets key evidence disappear, since vehicles are repaired and camera footage is overwritten within days, so it is safest to have the claim reviewed well before any deadline is close.
The other driver's insurer offered me a settlement. Should I take it?
Be cautious. An early offer usually comes before you know the full extent of your injuries, and once you accept and sign a release, the claim is closed for good, even if you need more treatment. Insurers make quick offers precisely because they are often far below what a claim is worth. It is wise to have any offer reviewed before you agree to anything.
What if my injuries showed up days after the crash?
That is common and does not defeat a claim. Whiplash, concussions, and soft-tissue injuries often surface hours or days later, once the initial adrenaline fades. This is exactly why getting medical attention promptly matters even if you feel alright at the scene: the record created then links the injury to the crash and answers the insurer’s inevitable argument that something else caused it.
Do I have to go to court?
Usually not. Most car accident claims settle once fault is established and the injuries are documented. Preparing the case as though it will go to trial, however, is what pushes the insurer toward a fair number. If the insurer refuses to offer what the claim is worth, we are prepared to file suit and take the case before a jury.
What should I do at the scene of a crash?
Call the police so there is an official report, and get medical attention even if you feel able to walk away. If you safely can, photograph the vehicles, the road, and any signals, exchange information with the other driver, and get the names of witnesses. Avoid admitting fault or giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and speak with a lawyer soon.
Should I give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement?
Be careful. The other driver’s insurer often calls quickly and sounds friendly, but its goal is to limit what it pays, and an early recorded statement can be used to argue you were at fault or not badly hurt. You are generally not required to give one to the other side’s insurer. It is safer to let your lawyer handle those communications.
How much does it cost to hire a lawyer?
Nothing upfront. We handle car accident claims on a contingency fee, which means you pay no fee unless we recover money for you, and the first consultation is free. That structure lets anyone take on an insurance company without financial risk, and it keeps our interests aligned with yours: we are paid only when you are.
What is my car accident claim worth?
There is no formula. Value depends on the severity of the injury, the cost of past and future care, lost wages and any reduced earning capacity, and the pain and disruption you have endured. A minor sprain and a permanent injury are worlds apart. The way to protect the value of any claim is to document the full course of treatment and tie each loss back to the crash.
Results Disclaimer: Past case results, settlements, and verdicts mentioned on this website do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Every case is unique and depends on its own facts and legal issues.