Hit-and-Run Victim Has Brain Injuries
Police are investigating several leads that tipsters have offered in the brutal hit-and-run accident in Apple Valley Friday night that left a 26-year-old woman with traumatic brain injuries.
Joan LeVasseur, 26, of Apple Valley, was walking to Cub Foods a little after 9 p.m. when a large neutral-color vehicle ran into her in the crosswalk at Cedar Avenue and 153rd Street. There were witnesses, but no one got a license plate and the description of the vehicle is not precise.
Ms. LeVasseur, who is hearing impaired and engaged to be married, remained in critical condition Sunday at Hennepin County Medical Center, according to the Star Tribune. Besides suffering traumatic brain injuries, she has been treated for broken bones in her legs and pelvis.
Her family members have pleaded for public help in finding the hit-and-run driver. Anyone with information is asked to call 952-953-2700.
PritzkerOlsen Attorneys is a nationally recognized leader in representing survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Fred Pritzker, founder and president of the firm, is former director of the Minnesota Brain Injury Association. Our Minnesota traumatic brain injury lawyers regularly present seminars on TBI to other lawyers. To contact our firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete a free case consultation form.
Woman Badly Injured in Hit-And-Run
Apple Valley Police Department officials are looking for help in solving a hit-and-run car accident that seriously injured a 26-year-old pedestrian.
Police told the Star Tribune that the woman was walking across Cedar Avenue at 153rd Street when she was struck by an unidentified vehicle, possibly a tan-colored van. That accident happened about 9:11 p.m. Friday.
Police said the victim was taken to Ridges Hospital in Burnsville, then transferred to a regional trauma center.
If you have information on who was driving the hit-and-run vehicle or have a description of the vehicle, please call 952-953-2700.
In a separate accident Friday, 24-year-old Patrick Welsh of Warroad, Minnesota, died when the vehicle he was driving rolled into a ditch 15 miles north of Fargo on Interstate 29. Highway Patrol officials told The Associated Press that a 19-year-old female passenger in the vehicle was taken to a Fargo hospital to be treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a motor vehicle collision, call a car accident lawyer at PritzkerOlsen Attorneys, or complete a free case consultation form. PritzkerOlsen is a premier personal injury law firm with many years of experience obtaining just compensation for accident victims.
In most fatal crashes and in crashes that result in serious injuries, there can be complex legal issues not always made apparent to you by insurance companies. To contact a Minnesota car accident lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free).
What is Minnesota No-Fault Law?
Under Minnesota no-fault law, accident victims are compensated for some basic economic losses, even if they are at fault. According to the Minnesota No-Fault Automobile Insurance Act (Minn. Stat., Sec. 65B.41), insurance companies covering automobile accidents in Minnesota must “provide for a minimum of $40,000 for loss arising out of the injury of any one person, consisting of: (1) $20,000 for medical expense loss arising out of injury to any one person; and (2) a total of $20,000 for income loss, replacement services loss, funeral expense loss [$2,000 limit], survivor’s economic loss, and survivor’s replacement services loss arising out of the injury to any one person” (Minn. Stat. Sec. 65B.44(a)).
The most a car accident victim can recover under Minnesota no-fault law is $40,000. You may have paid for more no-fault coverage.
Do I get pain and suffering under Minnesota no-fault coverage?
Car accident victims with Minnesota auto accident insurance do not get pain and suffering compensation under their auto insurance no-fault provisions. Minnesota no-fault insurance coverage is governed by Minnesota Statutes, Sections 65B.41 to 65B.71 (referred to as the Minnesota No-Fault Automobile Insurance Act). Under Minnesota’s no-fault auto insurance law, a driver involved in a car accident has a right to payments from his or her insurance company for basic economic loss, whether or not the driver was at fault for the accident.
What do I do when I am contacted by an insurance company after my Minnesota car accident?
After your car accident, you will most likely be contacted by at least one insurance company within 72 hours. Your are required to report your accident to your insurance company, but you are not required to say anything to any other insurance company. Insurance representatives are trained to get information out of you that the insurance company can use against you. DO NOT TALK TO THEM, not even pleasant conversation. They will sound very nice and concerned. Say nothing.
If you have not contacted an attorney before you are contacted by an insurance company, you can still simply say, “I will have my attorney contact you.”
Then contact us, and we will take care of all legal matters surrounding your accident. It is always better to have a knowledgeable, experienced Minnesota car accident lawyer on your side.
We have a number of options for contacting our law firm:
- Call 612-338-0202 (Twin Cities)
- Call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free)
- Submit our online consultation form (an attorney will review your form and get back to you as soon as possible)
- Email our Minnesota car accident lawyers (again, an attorney will review the email and get back to you as soon as possible)
It is important for you to hire a Minnesota car accident lawyer you can trust. We look forward to hearing from you and answering all of your questions.
