Driver Fatigue Increases Risk of Semi Truck – Car Accident
Car-semi truck accidents can be caused by driver fatigue, which can result in the driver falling asleep and losing control of his big rig or making a bad driving decision. In one of our cases, a semi truck driver passed a line of stopped cars and motorcycles on the left. Our client was turning left when the semi hit him.
To prevent these types of accidents, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations limit the amount of time a driver can be on the road. These “Hours-of-Service” regulations are rules that normal drivers in cars do not have to follow. Truck drivers must keep a “daily log” to show when and how long they have been driving.
Semi Truck Accident Liability
If the driver of the semi truck caused the accident, accident victims may have a claim against many potential parties, including:
- The owner of the truck. The truck driver is not always the truck owner. In addition, semi trucks generally have a cab and a trailer, and different parties may own each.
- The owner of the freight inside the trailer
- The driver of the truck. The driver of the truck generally has little money. That’s why an experienced truck accident lawyer will find as many companies as possible that may be held liable for injuries and death.
- The employer of the driver. Employers are liable for any accidents caused by their employees while they are performing their job.
- A parent company of the owner of the truck or employer of the driver.
- The manufacturer of the truck, cab, trailer or any truck part. If there is a defective part in the design or manufacture of the truck, multiple manufacturers may be liable.
- A third-party maintenance company. If a third-party maintenance company failed to properly maintain something they were responsible for fixing, and that became a contributing factor in the accident, that maintenance company may be liable.
Contact the truck accident attorneys at Pritzker Olsen for a free consultation >>>
MN Lawyer for Rear Ended by Semitrailer Truck
PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is a nationally-recognized Minnesota law firm and represents clients throughout Minnesota and the United States. Minnesota car accident lawyers Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman have been voted Super Lawyers by their peers. Fred Pritzker has also been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. To contact one of our lawyers for a free consultation about a car accident injury or death, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.
Who Can You Sue in a Rear Ended by Semitrailer Crash
Being rear ended by a semitrailer is a violent crash. Very often these accidents are caused by inattentive drivers. Recently, there was a rear end collision near St. Cloud, Minnesota that involved 5 vehicles and resulted in 2 fatalities, 2 people were hospitalized in critical condition and 3 people sustained non life-threatening injuries.
The question then becomes, “Who can you sue if you are rear ended by a semi truck?” That is where experienced legal representation becomes critical. A skilled attorney will sort out who the liable parties (parties that can be sued) are in order to obtain the deserved compensation for you and your family. The liable parties in a truck accident lawsuit may include:
- the owner of the truck cab
- the owner of the truck trailer
- the owner of the freight
- the driver of the truck
- the driver’s employer
- if there is a parent company, they may be held liable
- the manufacturer of the truck (includes cab, trailer or any part)
- a third part maintenance company, if applicable
- in multi-vehicle accidents, the driver and owner of another vehicle
Semi truck and trucking accident liability is complex. It involves extensive investigation and analysis by the truck accident lawyer. Our law firm has experience sorting out these liability issues and we have the necessary resources to get the job done.
To contact a PritzkerOlsen attorney for a free consultation, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or submit our online form for review by one of our attorneys. We have a proven track record and the resources needed to get you the compensation you deserve.
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Beer Truck-SUV Crash in Minnesota Kills Three
Three people died yesterday when a beer truck carrying a trailer full of beer crashed into an SUV with three people inside. All three people died, including the driver, Lucila Rojas, a wife and mother of two daughters.
“Families are grieving today and looking for answers,” stated Attorney Fred Pritzker, who has won millions of dollars for families who lost loved ones in commercial truck accidents. “When a semi truck crashes into another vehicle, the result is usually serious injury and death. What we need to find out in this case is how fast the beer truck was going, whether the driver was distracted and how much sleep the driver had. It can take a lot of digging to find the answers.”
Pritzker Olsen attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman recently obtained a hard-fought $2,560,000 semi truck accident settlement for a husband and wife whose car was hit from behind by the semi. To win the case, our Minneapolis, MN law firm hired an expert to make a video reconstruction of the accident.
“The video reconstruction of the accident was the winning element of our case,” stated Pritzker. “Because our law firm is successful, we have the money needed to take on trucking companies and win. The video in this case cost $25,000, but we won over $2 million dollars.”
Attorney Fred Pritzker is listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America. To contact him, please call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or submit our online form for a free consultation.
Eleven lives lost in Memorial Day Weekend Highway Accidents
Felony charges of criminal vehicular operation are pending against a 25-year-old Winona man whom the State Patrol says was drunk when the vehicle he was driving broadsided a van, killing four people and critically injuring two others.
The accident Saturday was the worst of eight Minnesota fatal accidents that took place over Memorial Day weekend.
The State Patrol identified the driver in the Olmsted County van crash as Christopher S. Frisch. The people who died in the crash were driver Terry Milholland, 45, of Beecher, Ill., and passengers Heidi Newell, 19, and Jarah Beers, 23, both of Rochester, and Raymond Milholland, age and hometown unknown. The Star Tribune reported that two others were hospitalized with critical injuries: 2-year-old Carter Newell of Rochester and Rita Seha, 43, also of Rochester.
The collision reportedly happened late Saturday at the intersection of state highways 63 and 30.
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.
Minnesota-based Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is a nationally recognized law firm that has the resources to perform its own accident investigations. When alcohol is involved in a crash, the firm researches dram shop claims against bars and other retailers who 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.
Pritzker Olsen has recovered tens of millions of dollars for victims of motor vehicle accidents that cause serious injury and death, including Minnesota motorcycle accidents. The number of fatal motorcycle accidents in the state has been on the rise.
The Minnesota traffic deaths this weekend included two passenger on motorcycles. One motorcycle was struck by a car on Highway 371 in Cass County. The car was northbound when it braked to avoid hitting another vehicle ahead. Then, according to reports in the Star Tribune, the car swerved into the southbound lane and struck the motorcycle head-on. A couple from Oak Grove, Minnesota, was on the bike.
According to the State Patrol, 59-year-old Judy Hubers died from her injuries. John Hubers, 51, was taken to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. On Monday, Mr. Hubers remained hospitalized in critical condition.
Another six people were killed over the weekend in six separate accidents in Carver County, Fillmore County, Dakota County, Wright County, Olmsted County and Aitkin.
According to the Star Tribune, one of the six was motorcycle passenger Amber Frandup, 25, of Eagan. She died when the motorcycle she was riding on crashed into the back of a car on the Mendota Bridge in Dakota County.
To contact a Minnesota car accident lawyer or motorcycle accident lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation.
Our professional lives are dedicated to upholding the constitutional rights of our clients including the right to trial by jury. We believe that wrongdoers and their insurance companies should be held accountable for the harms and losses they cause and the families of injury victims should be fairly compensated for the damages they suffer.
St. Paul Pedestrian Accident Is Fatal For Tot
A tragic accident on the East Side of St. Paul has killed a 3-year-old girl whom police say was trying to cross the street to reach her father.
Fire Department spokesman Steve Zacard told the Star Tribune newspaper that the girl, Mai Yer Moua, was struck by a pickup truck in the 900 block of Rose Avenue East about 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The little girl died at St. Paul Regions Hospital.
St. Paul Police spokesman Peter Panos said the driver of the pickup truck was badly shaken, but early reports did not include details of how the St. Paul car accident death happened.
According to the most recent edition of Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s annual Crash Facts report, Minnesota pedestrian deaths and injuries were higher in 2007 than they were in any of the previous three years.1
According to a breakdown of Crash Facts by Pritzker Olsen attorneys, a leading personal injury law firm in Minnesota, 30 percent of motor vehicle drivers in pedestrian crashes in 2007 were described by the reporting officers as failing to yield the right of way.
In another 24 percent of cases, the reporting officers said drivers were inattentive or distracted at the time of the accident. In half of the injury and death pedestrian crashes in 2007, the motor vehicle was going straight ahead at the time of the accident.
Minnesota has a no-fault insurance law, but when someone dies in a car accident due to the negligence of another, next of kin can recover monetary damages.
Attorney Fred Prtizker, founder and president of Pritzker Olsen, has more than 30 years of experience and has recovered millions of dollars for accident victims. If you or somone you know needs an attorney in connection with a Minnesota car or pedestrian accident, call Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete one of our free case consultation forms online.
The Minnesota car accident lawyers at Pritzker Olsen have the resources to conduct their own investigations of serious accidents. They represent injured victims and surviving family members in St. Paul, Minneapolis and throughout the state.
1Statewide in 2007, there were a total of 957 crashes in which a Minnesota pedestrian was injured or killed. 33 pedestrians were killed.
Man Charged In Chaska Pedestrian Death
Two misdemeanor charges of failure to yield to a pedestrian have been filed against a Chaska motorist who fatally injured a pedestrian late last year at a busy intersection in downtown Chaska.
The charges against Gregory T. Benedix, 43, relate to his SUV hitting 86-year-old Jerome Meuwissen as he crossed Highway 41 at Second Street in a marked crosswalk on December 3. Meuwissen died from his injuries.
The Star Tribune newspaper reported the charges and said the incident prompted some Chaska residents to rally for a stoplight at the intersection. Minnesota Department of Transportation officials began a safety study but the intersection is still without a stoplight.
If you have been in a Minnesota car accident and the other driver did not yield the right-of-way, you may have a claim against the driver, the owner of the other vehicle and others for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, cost of care and other damages.
To contact PritzkerOlsen, P.A., for a free consultation on your MN car accident, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit the firm’s free online case consultation form.
