Several charges of criminal vehicular homicide have been filed against a 25-year-old Winona man who had been drinking before hitting a mini-van in Olmsted County, killing the van’s driver and three passengers.
It was the worst of at least nine fatal accidents that occurred in Minnesota over Memorial Day weekend. Together, 12 people died.
The driver who was charged in the Minnesota quadruple fatal accident was Christopher Frisch, whom the State Patrol said was intoxicated. Frisch told investigators he had been drinking and fell asleep behind the wheel before broadsiding the mini-van at the intersection of state highways 30 and 63. The crash killed Terry Milholland, 45, of Beecher, Ill.; his 5-week-old son, Raymond Milholland; Heidi Newell, 19, and Jarah Beers, 23, both of Rochester.
When someone dies in a Minnesota car wreck caused by the negligence of another, the spouse and next of kin can recover monetary damages under the state’s wrongful death law. And when someone dies in a drunk driver accident in Minnesota, the spouse and next of kin may have a claim for punitive damages.
The Minnesota fatal car accident lawyers at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys have years of experience representing victims and survivors of serious motor vehicle crashes. When alcohol is involved in a crash, the firm investigates for possible dram shop claims against bars and other retailers who may have supplied alcohol to the drunken driver. Our lawyers know how to fight for fair compensation from all responsible parties, including money to cover a client’s pain and suffering. Over the years, Pritzker Olsen has collected tens of millions of dollars for crash victims and their next of kin.
According to a press release from the State Patrol, the four-day Memorial Day weekend was extremely busy for law enforcement personnel. Of the 12 people who died in crashes on public roads, 10 of the deaths were handled by state troopers.
The patrol said it responded to a total of 56 personal injury crashes, 212 property damage crashes and 497 driving complaints. Sixty-three individuals were arrested for driving while intoxicated and 11 were arrested on various narcotics charges, the press release said.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said it was the deadliest Memorial Day weekend for motor vehicle accidents since 1996, when 13 people died. Two of the people who died this year were female passengers on motorcycles.
For more information about Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation.
