Decades of Experience,
 Proven Results

Last reviewed June 2026 by Attorney Robert Shea.

Shea Culgin Law represents injured people across Bristol County — Taunton, Fall River, New Bedford, Attleboro, and every town in between — from our office at 1350 Belmont Street in Brockton, roughly 15 minutes up Route 24 from the Taunton line. Robert Shea and Joseph Culgin have handled Bristol County personal injury and workers’ compensation claims for more than 20 years, including DIA proceedings at the Fall River regional office. Free consultations: 508-510-5107 (injury) or 617-674-0408 (workers’ comp).

Bristol County at a Glance

• County seat: Taunton
• Population: about 580,000 across 20 cities and towns
• Superior Court: Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford sessions
• District courts: Taunton, Attleboro, Fall River, New Bedford
• Major emergency rooms: St. Luke’s, Charlton Memorial, Saint Anne’s, Morton, Sturdy Memorial
• Highest-risk roads: Route 24, I-195, Route 140, Route 6, Route 44
• Workers’ comp venue: Department of Industrial Accidents, Fall River regional office

Bristol County’s Courts: Three Superior Court Locations

Bristol County is unusual: its Superior Court sits in three cities, and where your case lands depends on where you live and where the injury happened.

• Bristol County Superior Court — Taunton, 9 Court Street. The county seat session, on Taunton Green, serving the northern half of the county.
• Bristol County Superior Court — Fall River, in the Fall River Justice Center, 186 South Main Street — a modern courthouse that also houses Fall River District Court.
• Bristol County Superior Court — New Bedford, 441 County Street. The historic courthouse serving the city and the surrounding South Coast towns.

Superior Court is where injury and wrongful death cases seeking more than the $50,000 district court procedural limit are filed. Smaller cases belong in the district courts:

• Taunton District Court, 40 Broadway — Taunton, Raynham, Dighton, Easton, and Berkley.
• Attleboro District Court, 88 North Main Street — Attleboro, North Attleborough, Mansfield, and Norton.
• Fall River District Court (Fall River Justice Center) — Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, and Westport.
• New Bedford District Court, 75 North Sixth Street — New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Acushnet, and Freetown.

Workers’ compensation disputes are decided by the Department of Industrial Accidents, and most Bristol County claims are assigned to the DIA’s Fall River regional office — a venue we appear in regularly for conciliations, conferences, and hearings.

The Hospitals Behind Bristol County Injury Claims

The county’s medical landscape changed substantially after the 2024 Steward Health Care bankruptcy, and knowing who runs each hospital now matters for records, liens, and billing disputes:

• St. Luke’s Hospital (Southcoast Health), 101 Page Street, New Bedford — the South Coast’s busiest emergency department.
• Charlton Memorial Hospital (Southcoast Health), 363 Highland Avenue, Fall River.
• Saint Anne’s Hospital, 795 Middle Street, Fall River — formerly Steward, now part of Brown University Health.
• Morton Hospital, 88 Washington Street, Taunton — also formerly Steward, now Brown University Health.
• Sturdy Memorial Hospital (Sturdy Health), 211 Park Street, Attleboro — independent, serving the Attleboros, Mansfield, and Norton.

We deal with these systems’ records departments and lien units constantly, and we know how each documents emergency treatment — which is where most injury cases are won or lost.

Crash Patterns: Routes 24, 140, 195, and the City Streets

• Route 24 carries the county’s commuter traffic north toward Boston and has long ranked among the most dangerous highways in Massachusetts — short ramps, high speeds, and frequent wrong-way entries through Freetown and Fall River.
• I-195 crosses the county east–west through Swansea, Somerset, Fall River, Dartmouth, New Bedford, and Fairhaven; the Braga Bridge merge in Fall River is a chronic crash zone.
• Route 140 links Taunton to New Bedford, with high-speed crashes near the Route 24 interchange and in Freetown.
• Route 6 — the old Grand Army Highway — runs through dense commercial strips in Swansea, Somerset, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven, producing constant intersection and rear-end collisions.
• Route 44 through Taunton and Raynham and Route 1/1A through the Attleboros add steady intersection and pedestrian crash volume.

Fall River and New Bedford are also two of the state’s densest pedestrian environments outside Boston; pedestrian and bicycle injuries are a meaningful share of our South Coast caseload.

A Working County: Fishing, Manufacturing, and Distribution

Bristol County’s workers’ compensation claims track its real economy. New Bedford has been America’s highest-value commercial fishing port for over two decades — roughly $440 million in annual landings, driven by the scallop fleet — and fishing, fish processing, and waterfront work generate some of the most serious injury claims we see. The offshore wind build-out staged from New Bedford’s terminal has added marine construction and heavy-lift work to the mix. Beyond the waterfront: distribution and logistics in Taunton’s Myles Standish Industrial Park and the Fall River/Freetown warehouse corridor (including the region’s largest fulfillment centers), healthcare across the county’s five hospitals, construction trades, and the legacy textile and manufacturing employers of Fall River and New Bedford. Hurt in any of them? Start with our workers’ compensation guide — and note that injured fishermen often have claims under federal maritime law rather than c. 152, a distinction we evaluate at intake.

Massachusetts Injury Law, Applied to Bristol County Cases

Every Bristol County car crash starts inside the no-fault system: PIP coverage on the vehicle you occupied pays the first $8,000 of medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault, and the right to sue for pain and suffering opens once medical expenses pass $2,000 or the injury meets a statutory threshold. From there, case value is a function of liability, damages, and — critically in this county — coverage. Fall River and New Bedford have some of the state’s highest rates of uninsured and minimum-limits drivers, which makes your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage the most important line on your policy; we routinely recover more from UM/UIM claims than from the at-fault driver’s carrier. For families who lose someone, the wrongful death statute (M.G.L. c. 229) routes recovery through the estate’s personal representative, with damages for lost companionship and, where the conduct was reckless, punitive damages. And when any insurer delays or lowballs despite clear liability, Chapters 93A and 176D give Massachusetts plaintiffs a weapon most states lack: a properly built demand can put the carrier’s own money at risk — up to treble damages — for failing to make a fair offer. Insurers know which firms build those demands properly. It changes how they negotiate.

Every Bristol County Community We Serve

Each town guide covers the local courts, roads, and claims in detail:

Attleboro · Dartmouth · Dighton · Easton · Fairhaven · Fall River · Mansfield · New Bedford · North Attleborough · Norton · Raynham · Rehoboth · Seekonk · Somerset · Swansea · Taunton · Westport

The Cases We Handle Across Bristol County

• Car accidents — Route 24 and I-195 crashes, PIP, and underinsured motorist claims.
• Truck accidents — commercial vehicles serving the ports and warehouse corridors.
• Motorcycle accidents — riders on Route 6 and the county’s rural roads.
• Wrongful death — M.G.L. c. 229 claims for grieving families.
• Premises liability and slip and fall — store, restaurant, and property falls.
• Construction injuries — third-party claims alongside workers’ comp.
• Workers’ compensation — DIA claims, denials, and lump-sum settlements.

Bristol County FAQ

Which Bristol County courthouse will hear my injury case?

Cases over the $50,000 district court limit are filed in Bristol County Superior Court, which sits in Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford — generally the session covering the region where the injury occurred or where the defendant is located. Smaller cases go to the district court for your town: Taunton, Attleboro, Fall River, or New Bedford.

Where are Bristol County workers’ comp cases decided?

Not in court. Workers’ compensation claims go through the Department of Industrial Accidents, and Bristol County cases are typically heard at the DIA’s Fall River regional office. The process runs from conciliation to conference to hearing, and an insurer that loses at conference pays your attorney’s fee on top of your benefits.

I was hurt working on a fishing boat out of New Bedford. Is that a workers’ comp claim?

Often not. Crew members on commercial fishing vessels are generally covered by federal maritime remedies — the Jones Act and unseaworthiness claims — rather than Massachusetts workers’ compensation, and those claims can be worth substantially more. Shore-side processing and terminal workers usually are covered by c. 152 or the federal Longshore Act. We sort out the right framework at your free consultation.

How long do I have to bring a claim?

Three years for most negligence claims (M.G.L. c. 260, § 2A); two years to present claims against a city or town (c. 258); 30 days’ written notice for snow-and-ice falls; and four years from injury (or one year from death) to file a DIA claim under c. 152. Maritime deadlines differ. Call before any of these clocks becomes a problem.

Talk to a Bristol County Attorney Today

Call 508-510-5107 for personal injury or 617-674-0408 for workers’ compensation. Our Brockton office at 1350 Belmont Street, Suite 109, is minutes from the Bristol County line, and we handle consultations by phone or video for South Coast clients. Free consultation; no fee unless we win.