Tao Thao has been the sole breadwinner in the family since Yia Vang was laid off of his welding job.

A benefit fund has been set up in Yia Vang’s name. Donations can be taken at all Wells Fargo locations.

Lao Thao, Tao Thao’s brother has asked the community for help because the Vang family is not able to buy food or clothes or to pay for housing.

Minnesota Dram Shop Laws: Holding Sellers of Liquor Accountable

State Patrol spokesman Capt. Matt Langer told the Star Tribune that Connie Stroud, 42, of Minneapolis, “had way too much to drink to be driving.” She was driving a Toyota pickup truck. Given the size of Ms. Stroud’s vehicle, it is amazing more people from the Vang family were not killed.

It has not been reported where Ms. Stroud drank before she drove, but if it was a “dram shop,” that establishment could be liable for the wrongful death of Jaylee Chang Vang, the unborn child who was killed in the head-on crash, and the injuries suffered by Tao Thao, Yia Vang and the other children.

Minnesota law holds dram shops responsible for the dangerous actions of an intoxicated person when they illegally sell liquor to that person. Dram shops can include bars, liquor stores, restaurants, social clubs, and even private events where liquor is sold.

Under Minnesota Statutes, Section 340.801, Subdivision 1:

A spouse, child, parent, guardian, employer, or other person injured in person, property, or means of support, or who incurs other pecuniary loss by an intoxicated person or by the intoxication of another person, has a right of action in the person’s own name for all damages sustained against a person who caused the intoxication of that person by illegally selling alcoholic beverages.

If your family has been hit by a drunk driver, contact Pritzker Olsen law firm for a free consultation: 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), email Fred Pritzker or submit our online consultation form.

Pritzker Olsen attorneys have been interviewed and quoted by The Star Tribune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Lawyers USA and other publications.  Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman were named Minnesota Super Lawyers by Law & Politics magazine (Aug. 2009), and Fred Pritzker is listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, we all learned more about the accident.  Tomorrow the Minnesota State Patrol will probably post more names.  We have a few from news reports.  Names are important because they give a tragedy a face.  Names aren’t just statistics.

One of the passengers on the bus was Bill Kesler, who was related to almost half of the other passengers.  Here is what the Star Tribune wrote about him:

On the way home from an Iowa casino, Bill Kesler found out how lucky he really is.

The Rochester man walked away from a bus crash and rollover Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 90 near Austin. Two people aboard were killed, and the 21 others aboard were hurt, three of them critically.

Most of the passengers on board were older adults. Some were ejected as the bus rolled, a State Patrol spokesman said.

Kesler, 64, and his wife were part of a group of 10 coming back from the Diamond Jo Casino, off Interstate 35 near the Iowa-Minnesota border. With them: her four sisters and their husbands.

“We don’t even know what happened,” said Kesler. “It happened so fast. I was sitting toward the back, and the next thing I knew, the bus went over the median and flipped.”

Mr. Kesler walked away, but he has injuries, and they may be worse than he thinks.  Some brain injuries take days or weeks to manifest.

We have had clients tell us they did not realize how injured they were and would have settled for inadequate amounts if they had not come to us.

We have recently recovered money for families in several wrongful death cases involving elderly people.  Our experience has been that insurance companies place little value on the life of an older person.  Our job as attorneys is to prove that they are wrong and that every life has substantial value.

For those who would like a free consultation with one of our Minnesota bus accident lawyers about a Strain Tours lawsuit, we welcome you to call our law firm at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online consultation form.

If you would like to learn more about our lawyers, visit our “About Us” page on our main website, www.pritzkerlaw.com.  There is information about each attorney and links to even more information.

“This is an urgent matter,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration.”

NHTSA notes that there continue to be reports of accelerator pedal clearance issues which provide the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position. A stuck accelerator may result in very high vehicle speeds and a crash, which could cause serious injury or death.

NHTSA said that Toyota has announced that it will soon launch a safety recall of various model year vehicles to redress the problem. However the safety agency warned owners to remove all driver-side floor mats from the models listed below immediately as an interim safety measure in advance of the recall.

Toyota and Lexus vehicles affected by this consumer alert are:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS350

Today’s advisory was precipitated by continued reports of vehicles accelerating rapidly after release of the accelerator pedal. The incidents appear to be related to factors including the use of a variety of unsecured mats, the particular configuration of the accelerator pedals in these vehicles, and the unique steps needed to shut off the engines in some of these vehicles with keyless ignition.

For a free consultation with one of our car accident lawyers regarding a Toyota or Lexus lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form.  Attorney Fred Pritzker has recovered multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts in product liability cases.  He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

Both the driver and passenger were ejected from the Honda on impact, and at least one of them died.  The Minnesota State Patrol has listed this accident as fatal and has not yet provided more information.  Our law firm is representing families who lost loved ones in accidents, and in almost every case, the death was caused by an inattentive driver.

The Minnesota State Patrol report indicating that the driver of the Plymouth ran a stop sign and was at fault for the accident can be used as evidence in a lawsuit seeking compensation for injuries or wrongful death.

The primary issue in this case will be the amount of compensation.

If you would like to discuss how our law firm will fight for justice for you and your family by working to obtain the best possible compensation package for you, please call Attorney Fred Pritzker at 612-338-0202 or 1-888-377-8900 (toll free).  You may also submit our free consultation form.  We are not paid unless you win.

Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman have once again been named “Super Lawyers” by Law & Politics magazine, a Minnesota legal journal.

The victim of Tuesday’s school bus accident near downtown Minneapolis has been identified as Theodore Q. Larson, 81, of Coon Rapids.

According to police reports quoted in the Star Tribune newspaper, the Minnesota bus-pedestrian accident happened about 2:20 p.m. when the bus was turning left from E. 15th Street onto Park Avenue.

The driver reportedly told police he didn’t see the man.

It was the second fatal motor vehicle accident to happen near downtown Minneapolis in daylight hours in two weeks. Last week, a bicyclist was killed at E. 14th Street and Park Avenue when he was struck by a semitractor trailer that was turning left. Reports stated that bicyclist Dennis Dumm, 31, was struck when the truck driver took a wide left turn.

Both accidents involve legal principles that are best understood by lawyers who have years of experience representing victims and their next of kin in wrongful death actions. The attorneys at Minnesota-based Pritzker Olsen, P.A., specialize in motor vehicle accidents — including motor vehicle-bicycle collisions — and have collected tens of millions of dollars for victims and survivors of serious crashes.

Accidents involvings school buses, for instance, involve state and federal laws because the buses are classified as common carriers and are obligated to operate with a higher level of safety. Pritzker Olsen understands the liabilities of bus companies in bus accident lawsuits.

To contact a Minnesota fatal accident lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation.

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.

WCCO-TV reported that the accident happened about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in Spring Lake Park. The man, James Miller, was walking with a companion on the side of a service road along the 1600 block of County Road 10. The collision occurred in front of Oak Crest Senior Community Center, the station reported.

Mr. Miller was struck by a vehicle driven by a 30-year-old man. WCCO-TV reported that the man initially was taken into custody but there was no evidence that he had been drinking.

The injured man was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition on Sunday. His companion on the walk, Grant Bergstrom, 61, of Minneapolis, suffered minor injuries.

If you or somone you know are looking for a Minnesota car accident lawyer, call Pritzker Olsen attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or write to us online for a free case consultation.

The firm’s lawyers have extensive experience in motor vehicle accident cases and have received numerous accolades, including selection by their peers as The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers.

Minneapolis police say the car was carrying five people when the crashed occurred about 9 p.m.at Fifth Avenue South and South Fourth Street. The truck driver, who was the only occupant of the truck, received minor injuries, police told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

No additional information about the crash was available.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call the Minnesota car accident lawyers at Pritzer Olsen attorneys. The firm has recovered millions of dollars for accident victims and has the resources to do its own investigation of serious accidents.

To contact Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete a free case consultation form online.

Statewide on St. Patrick’s Day, alcohol-related crashes accounted for seven of 12 traffic deaths and another 13 serious injuries from 2005-2007, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Each year in Minnesota, alcohol-related crashes account for around 200 deaths and 3,000 serious injuries, statistics show.

Minnesota car accident lawyers at PritzkerOlsen Attorneys represent injured victims of these senseless accidents, always investigating for dram shop liability. Our lawyers can help you determine if a dram shop violation played a role in your accident in time to take action under the statute of  limitations.

PritzkerOlsen is a premier Minnesota law firm. The firm has recovered numerous settlements and verdicts in excess of $1,000,000.

Lt. Matt Langer of the State Patrol said in a press release about DWI enforcement on St. Patrick’s Day that “there is a history of partying on St. Patrick’s Day, but not a history of planning for a sober driver.”

He said the extra DWI patrols will be deployed in the following counties, which usually account for more than half of the state’s alcohol-related crashes causing death and injury: Anoka, Blue Earth, Crow Wing, Dakota, Hennepin, Itasca, Ramsey, Rice, St. Louis, Sherburne, Stearns, Washington and Wright.