Nancy Maronn has lived near Route 24 in Fall River for forty years. When reporters came to the scene of yet another serious crash on the highway, she did not hesitate with her assessment. “Several, several dozens,” she told the news crew, “and a lot of them have been fatalities, which is sad.” She said she wished MassDOT would do something about it.
That quote is from a crash where a woman driving the wrong way collided head-on with a tractor-trailer near the interchange with I-195. It could have come from any number of incidents on that same stretch of road over the years. Route 24 through Fall River is one of the most consistently dangerous highways in Southeastern Massachusetts, and the people who live and drive near it know it.
In November 2023, a woman named Christin Oliveira was struck and killed on Route 24 northbound at mile marker 8 in Fall River, hit by a Ford F-250 in the early morning hours. The highway was closed for hours. The crash made every local news outlet. It was not the first. It will not be the last.
If you were hurt in an accident on Route 24 in Fall River, the question is not whether the road is dangerous. That part is established. The question is what your legal options look like, who bears responsibility for what happened to you, and how to start the process of holding them accountable.
What Makes Route 24 Through Fall River So Consistently Dangerous
Route 24 is a high-speed limited-access highway that connects Fall River to Brockton and the greater Boston area. The Exit 8 corridor, near the interchange with I-195, sees enormous traffic volume from commuters, commercial trucks, and long-haul vehicles moving between Rhode Island and points north. That volume alone creates risk. But the specific character of Route 24 through Fall River adds layers on top of basic congestion.
The highway has a documented history of wrong-way driving incidents, which are among the most lethal types of crashes because both vehicles are traveling at highway speed directly toward each other with almost no reaction time. Wrong-way entry events on limited-access highways typically involve drivers who missed an exit, misjudged a ramp, or are in some impaired state. When they happen on Route 24 near the Exit 8A and 8B interchanges, which feeds traffic from multiple directions into a compressed interchange geometry, the consequences are often catastrophic.
The highway’s nighttime crash pattern is also notable. Multiple serious incidents on Route 24 in Fall River have occurred between the hours of 10 PM and 6 AM, when traffic is thinner but speed tends to be higher and visibility is reduced. A 67-year-old Fall River man pulled over on the shoulder between exits 8A and 8B and was standing outside his vehicle when a northbound car struck him. He was airlifted to Rhode Island Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Who Can Be Held Liable After a Route 24 Crash
The at-fault driver is the most obvious party in a Route 24 accident claim. Speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, and failure to stay in the proper lane are among the most documented causes of serious crashes on this highway. When a driver’s negligence causes a collision that injures you, a personal injury claim against that driver and their insurer is the foundation of your case.
But Route 24 also raises infrastructure questions that a thorough attorney will examine. Has MassDOT received complaints or documentation about specific crash-prone locations on this stretch of highway? Are the interchange ramp designs contributing to wrong-way entry events? Is signage adequate at night and in adverse weather? These questions matter because when a government entity knows about a dangerous road condition and fails to address it within a reasonable time, there may be a legal basis for a claim against that entity in addition to the at-fault driver.
Commercial trucking companies whose drivers were involved in Route 24 crashes represent another avenue of potential liability. Federal hours-of-service regulations require truck drivers to maintain rest logs, and a fatigued driver on a long haul through Fall River in the early morning hours is a foreseeable risk that the trucking company has an obligation to manage.
What to Do After a Route 24 Accident in Fall River
Call 911 and stay with the scene. Massachusetts State Police respond to Route 24 incidents and their report becomes foundational evidence in any personal injury case. If you can do so safely, photograph the positions of the vehicles, the road conditions, any relevant signage, and your injuries before vehicles are moved.
Accept emergency medical transport if offered. Highway crashes at speed produce injury patterns that are not always immediately obvious, and the documentation of your condition at the scene and in the emergency room is critical to your claim’s foundation.
Contact a personal injury lawyer in Fall River before speaking to any insurance adjuster. Route 24 accident cases can involve multiple parties, complex liability questions, and insurance carriers with experienced claims teams already moving to protect their interests. Having legal representation from the beginning changes that dynamic significantly.
Route 24 has been dangerous for a long time. The people who get hurt on it deserve to know they have real legal options and real advocates in their corner.
