Significant Cases and Referrals

Construction

$28 million settlement in case involving the tragic death of Milena Del Valle, who died when a three-ton ceiling panel collapsed on top of her car while she and her husband were driving through Boston's Interstate 90 Connector Tunnel on July 10, 2006. Milena was crushed to death as her husband, just inches away in the driver's seat, struggled in vain for control of the car. The tunnel was part of the $14 billion "Big Dig" project. A year-long investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board resulted in a finding that the epoxy anchors used to suspend the "drop ceiling" were inappropriate for use in a long term, overhead application. The plaintiffs' suit named sixteen defendants, including Bechtel Corp., the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, and other companies responsible for the management design, construction and inspection of the tunnel, as well as the manufacturers and distributors of the epoxy used to hang the "drop ceiling" that collapsed onto the Del Valles' car. Meehan, Boyle, Black and Bogdanow achieves $28M settlement in lawsuit against 15 companies responsible for fatal collapse of Big Dig tunnel. Attorney Brad Henry's interview on Speaking of Justice regarding the recent Big Dig settlement.

$1.5 million settlement in case arising from a blasting incident at a construction site. The plaintiff was severely injured when a 12-pound rock was ejected nearly 800 feet from an adjacent construction blast site and crashed through the windshield of the car he was driving. Remarkably, he managed to safely bring his car to a stop, even though his windshield and his left knee had been shattered by the rock.

Product Liability

$26 million judgment against Chrysler Corporation in a case involving its poorly designed brake system in the early “mini vans” released into the market. The faulty braking system led to a tragic accident and the deaths of the plaintiff’s wife and three children. Santos v. Chrysler Corp., 430 Mass. 198 (1999). Leo Boyle was selected by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly to present his closing argument in this case as part of the annual Battle of the Lawyers event featuring historic closing arguments by leading Massachusetts attorneys.

Settlement in excess of $55 million for plaintiffs in case involving an oil refinery explosion, in which Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow represented the refinery plaintiffs in claims against the manufacturer of the defective valve that caused the explosion.

Wrongful Death

$7.7 million in settlements in case against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the FIJI fraternity arising out of the death of a college student following a dangerous hazing ritual. In addition to the settlements, the firm obtained a 10 year commitment to produce a professional anti-hazing/binge-drinking educational video and program. "Fraternity Hazing" 

$3.9 million settlement in case alleging that MBTA commuter train personnel failed to stop the train to seek emergency medical attention for a passenger suffering cardiac arrest, despite repeated requests and warnings by the other passengers that the man was not breathing and required immediate medical attention. Instead, the train personnel continued to make the scheduled stops and allowed nearly 20 minutes to pass before eventually arriving at the final destination. Tragically, emergency medical attention was provided too late and the passenger died shortly thereafter. "Family settles with 'T,' Amtrak for $3.9 million

Motor Vehicle

$2.5 million settlement for a severely injured jogger who was struck from behind by an SUV operating on the wrong side of the road by a newspaper delivery-person. The case involved an imaginative challenge to the law protecting large newspapers and others from the liability of deliverers as "independent contractors," and required an MBBB attorney to travel to Brazil to find the driver, who had left the country and escaped to a small village. "Injured Plaintiff Gets $2.5M In Case Against 'Contractor'"

$5.5 million settlement of a case arising from a head-on motor vehicle collision involving the fatigued driver of a fast-food chain vehicle who fell asleep, crossed a highway centerline, and caused severe injuries to a parent and her child.

General Personal Injury

Judgment in excess of $4 million in a jury trial arising out of injuries sustained when the plaintiffs were forced to jump from the fifth floor of a burning apartment building. A fire erupted on the floor beneath plaintiffs' apartment and created an inferno within their apartment and in the corridor outside. Evidence presented to the jury demonstrated that there was only one doorway leading from the apartment and no fire escapes or fire balconies on the exterior of the building. Rothgaber and Ingram v. St. Botolph Street Associates and Federal Management, Inc. 34 Mass. App. Ct. 1103 (1993).

Substantial settlement involving a professional golfer blinded in one eye as a result of a sales representative’s negligent use of a bungee cord. "Bungee cord hits man's eye during sales meeting"

$1.2 million settlement of a case arising from a highly-publicized shooting spree by a disturbed student armed with an assault rifle at a local college. The plaintiff, a campus security guard, filed suit against the gun shop that unlawfully sold the weapon, a mail-order ammunition dealer, and college administrators. "Illegally Purchased Rifle & Ammunition - Security Guard Injured"

Medical Malpractice

$8 million verdict in case arising from a physician’s failure to interpret mammographic findings. The failure caused the plaintiff to suffer from a significant delay in diagnosis and treatment and, consequently, a significant loss in quality of life as she underwent modified radical mastectomy and reconstruction surgery and aggressive chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Most tragically, the failure resulted in a substantial decrease in life expectancy.

$5.2 million settlement in case arising from defendant’s failure to diagnose and inform the plaintiffs that the twins carried by the mother were conjoined.

Published Decisions

Referrals

Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C. provides referral fees to referring attorneys within the statutes and ethical guidelines of their respective states and jurisdictions. Many attorneys refer to us for a variety of reasons including cases that arise in our areas of specialty, cases that require extensive commitment of time and resources, or cases that present complex or unusual legal issues. Our firm regularly represents out-of-state residents who are in Massachusetts for various reasons - for instance, attending one of the colleges or universities here, or for medical treatment at one of the many institutions in Massachusetts. If you are interested in referrals, we are happy to confer and cooperate with you in meeting the expectations of you and your client.

Contact Us

Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow has earned the respect of clients, lawyers, judges and other members of the legal community at the local and national level because of its successful approach to helping the victims of personal injury. This success is built on careful case selection and diligent prosecution. Success is built on a team approach to personal injury cases, where each attorney's diverse skills are combined to create the best possible results.

To contact Meehan, Boyle, Black & Bogdanow, P.C., please call (617) 523-8300.

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