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.
Driver Who Caused Fatal Crash Was Drunk
The man who crashed a stolen car into another vehicle, killing a 48-year-old St. Paul woman Saturday night, was intoxicated and was seen speeding through a red light a moment before the crash.
Those are some of the details in a criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court against Tito F. Campbell, 33, of Crystal. Campbell, who has a lengthy criminal record with more than one previous drunk driving citation, was tested with a blood-alcohol level of .16 percent after the fatal collision.
Killed in the crash was 48-year-old Shoua Vang, a church-going mother of six boys, who was an innocent passenger in a vehicle driven by her husband, Zong Xiong. The couple was less than a mile from their home when Campbell exited I-35E at Larpenteur Ave. and was seen running a red light at an estimated 60 mph, the Star Tribune newspaper reported. Zong Xiong was treated at Regions Hospital and released Sunday.
The Star Tribune said Campbell faces three charges: Fleeing police resulting in a death; first-degree drunken driving and fleeing police resulting in great bodily harm.
Under Minnesota Law, when someone dies in a drunk driver accident, the spouse and next of kin may have a claim under MN wrongful death statute. Minnesota car accident attorneys at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., have years of experience in wrongful death cases and are highly visible in the Minnesota legal community.
If you have been in a Minnesota fatal car accident and want to understand your legal rights against insurance companies, dram shops, vehicle manufacturers and others, call PritzkerOlsen at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or go online for a free case consultation.
In the St. Paul fatal accident, driver Tito Campbell had been reported by his ex-girlfriend as having just stolen her car. According to the newspaper, Roseville Police pursued him on Highway 36 at speeds of up to 90 mph, but reportedly stopped the pursuit because Campbell was driving dangerously.
DWI Arrests Hit 196 in March
A designated Minnesota drunk driver enforcement campaign resulted in 196 DWI arrests in March, about a third of which occurred around St. Patrick’s Day.
The State Patrol said the monthly total was the highest since the program known as NightCap started last October.
The program targets the 13 counties with the highest number of fatal accidents: Anoka, Blue Earth, Crow Wing, Dakota, Hennepin, Itasca, Ramsey, Rice, St. Louis, Sherburne, Stearns, Washington and Wright.
Since last Fall, NightCap enforcement efforts have resulted in 850 drunk driver arrests.
The March NightCap news release from the State Patrol didn’t mention how many fatal accidents occurred during March, but State Patrol records reviewed by the Minnesota car accident lawyers at PrtizkerOlsen, P.A., showed there were nine fatal accidents on state-policed roads for the month of March.
The records include information as to whether alcohol was a factor in any of the crashes.
2 Killed in Broadside Accident in Hermantown
A Chevy Yukon SUV slammed into the side of a car at a major intersection northwest of Duluth, killing the car’s driver and a passenger in the car, according to the State Patrol.
The Minnesota fatal car accident occurred early Monday, just after midnight, the patrol said. One of the vehicles apparently went against a red light but the preliminary accident report does not say which vehicle had the right of way.
The two who died were car driver Timothy J. Schlies, 26, of Duluth, and a passenger in his car, Hans C. Warren, 27, also of Duluth, the Duluth News-Tribune newspaper reported.
According to the State Patrol, the men were westbound on Arrowhead Road northwest of Duluth in Hermantown. The Yukon was northbound on Highway 53 when the broadside collision occurred minutes after midnight.
The patrol identified the driver of the SUV as Daniel D. Dougherty, 50, of Hermantown. The report said he did not suffer any apparent injuries.
The Minnesota car accident lawyers at PritzkerOlsen Attorneys can answer your questions about fatal accidents involving family members, including questions about car accident settlements. The firm has a national reputation for excellence in representing clients throughout the Midwest and United States. To contact a representative of our firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete a free case consultation form.
Drunk Driving Death Threat Rises March 17
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has announced its plan for extra DWI patrols on St. Patrick’s Day to reduce the threat of drunk driving death and injury.
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.
Special DWI Enforcement Plan
The Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety will fund special DWI enforcement efforts in five counties this year as part of a heightened enforcement effort to curtail drunken driving in counties with a history of alcohol-related crashes.
The five counties are Ramsey, Rice, St. Louis, Sherburne and Stearns.
According to the Winter 2009 newsletter of the Office of Traffic Safety, law enforcement officers will target various traffic corridors and mark them with illuminated “DWI Arrest Zone” signs. The officers also will patrol other roads in search of motorists who attempt to circumnavigate the high-visibility DWI enforcement areas.
As car accident lawyers who represent injury victims of alcohol-related crashes, the firm of PritzkerOlsen Attorneys applauds the measure. In 2008, a series of special DWI enforcement efforts resulted in 52,833 vehicle stops resulting in more than 3,000 DWI arrests — one arrest per 17 traffic stops.
Under Minnesota Statute, Section 169A, it is a violation of Minnesota law to drive with an alcohol concentration of .08 or more. If someone violates this law, it is prima facie evidence of negligence in a civil case (Minnesota Statutes, Section 169.96 (2006).
In a civil action against a drunk driver, the injured party can ask for punitive damages, which, depending on the circumstances, can be significant. For example, PritzkerOlsen won $6,000,000 on behalf of a 26 year-old female passenger whose right leg was traumatically amputated when the motorcycle on which she was a passenger was struck by a drunk driver.
Special DWI enforcement initiatives can help reduce the chances of such accidents ever happening.
According to the Office of Traffic Safety, the state’s 13 deadliest counties for impaired driving are Anoka, Blue Earth, Crow Wing, Dakota, Hennepin, Itasca, Ramsey, Rice, St. Louis, Sherburne, Stearns, Washington and Wright. The 13 counties accounted for nearly half of the state’s alcohol-related deaths (272) and serious injuries (663) during 2005-2007.
