Developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, clinical researchers, and health practitioners, the guide introduces a two-question screening tool and an innovative youth alcohol risk estimator to help clinicians overcome time constraints and other common barriers to youth alcohol screening.

According to the NIH, the proportion of youth who have had more than just a few sips of alcohol increases dramatically, from 7 percent of 12-year-olds to nearly 70 percent of 18-year-olds. Binge drinking is dangerous and common, and increases with age.

The CDC has pinpointed binge drinking as playing an important role in the 100+ million alcohol-impaired driving incidents each year (MMWR, Oct. 7, 2011):

• 85% of alcohol-impaired driving episodes were reported by persons who also reported binge drinking; and
• The 4.5% of the adult population who reported binge drinking at least four times per month accounted for 55% of all alcohol-impaired driving episodes.

“Clinicians who care for young people are well aware of the many harms caused by underage drinking,” notes Sharon Levy, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Substance Abuse, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “The guide takes much of the mystery out of intervening with young patients who are drinking, allowing clinicians to proceed within a clinical framework of low, moderate, or high risk. It will enable pediatricians and other clinicians who care for young people to easily incorporate alcohol screening across the care spectrum, from annual visits to urgent care.”

To develop the shortest possible screening tool with the strongest evidence for predicting current and future alcohol problems in youth, NIAAA convened a working group of researchers to conduct extensive analyses of underage drinking data. Their analyses indicated that just two questions, one that asks about friends’ drinking, and another that asks about personal drinking frequency, had the greatest predictive power. Examples of these questions, which vary slightly for elementary, middle, and high school ages, include:

Friends’ drinking: “Do you have any friends who drank beer, wine, or any drink containing alcohol in the past year?”

Personal drinking: “How about you–in the past year, on how many days have you had more than a few sips of beer, wine, or any drink containing alcohol?”

The friends’ drinking question is an early warning signal that strongly predicts future drinking levels, while the personal drinking question is the best predictor of current risk for alcohol-related harm in adolescents who are already drinking. These questions can be asked quickly, an extremely important factor for clinicians and their patients.

“Routine screening and intervention for alcohol use in young people is critical to preventing the constellation of problems associated with adolescent drinking,” says Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H., assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The new adolescent alcohol screening guide developed by NIAAA provides health care professionals an opportunity to engage young patients before it is too late.”

In addition to the new two-question screen, the guide presents the first youth alcohol risk estimator chart, which combines information about a patient’s age and drinking frequency to give a clinician a broad indication of the patient’s chances for having alcohol-related problems. Coupled with what a clinician already knows about a patient, the risk estimator can help determine the depth and content of the clinician’s response. The guide outlines different levels of intervention, with tips for topics to cover. It also presents an overview of brief motivational interviewing, an interactive, youth-friendly intervention that is considered to have the best potential effectiveness for the adolescent population.

Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner’s Guide, and its accompanying pocket-sized version, can be downloaded or ordered from the NIAAA website at www.niaaa.nih.gov. It can also be ordered from NIAAA by calling 301-443-3860.

Today, two electrical workers for Egan Co. were killed by a car that left the road and hit them as they were working alongside northbound Interstate 35W in Burnsville. According to news reports, the men were working on electrical lines buried along the freeway.

The driver of the car was Kirk Daemos, a 21-year-old from Ramore, Missouri, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. He was not injured. The worker who survived, critically injured, was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center.

According to the State Patrol, Daemos lost control and struck the workers partway down the embankment on 35W at McAndrews Road. The State Patrol has not stated whether alcohol played a role in the accident. At this point, the investigation of this fatal accident is only preliminary.

The families of these workers should interview attorneys as soon as possible to determine who to hire to represent them. A good accident attorney will immediately begin an independent investigation of the accident and do the following:

• Visit the scene of the accident
• Inspect the car to determine if there were any defective parts that contributed to the accident
• Determine if the driver had been drinking, and if so, if a bar, restaurant or liquor store had sold him alcohol before the accident
• Determine if safety measures could have been taken to prevent the accident
• Obtain copies of relevant documents, including the accident report, medical records, etc.
• Obtain insurance information.

One of our attorneys can meet you where it is convenient with no obligation. We want you to be comfortable with the attorney you hire, and that often means interviewing a few attorneys to determine who you trust. Contact our attorneys for a free consultation.

Source: http://www.twincities.com/ci_19109622

In this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR),  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that alcohol-impaired driving accounts for nearly 11,000 fatalities per year, or about one third of all crash fatalities in the United States.

The CDC estimates that in 2010, there were approximately 112 million alcohol-impaired driving incidents and “binge drinking” played a big role in those incidents:

• 85% of alcohol-impaired driving episodes were reported by persons who also reported binge drinking; and
• The 4.5% of the adult population who reported binge drinking at least four times per month accounted for 55% of all alcohol-impaired driving episodes.

One strategy Minnesota has used to prevent  driving under the influence (DUI) and the resulting fatal accidents is dram shop liability laws, which hold alcohol retailers (both on premises and off premises) legally responsible for harms caused by serving alcohol to visibly intoxicated patrons. The Minnesota dram shop law reads as follows:

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.

The dram shop laws are an important part of accident prevention, and we have used them to hold bars and other alcohol retailers accountable for their actions.

Minnesota has also initiated an ignition interlock device program to help prevent drinking and driving. An ignition interlock is, in essence, a breathalyzer installed on the dashboard. As of July 1, 2011, first-time alcohol offenders with an alcohol concentration of 0.16 or above and all second-time alcohol offenders have the option of regaining their driving privileges by participating in the program.  Drivers whose licenses are canceled and whose privileges are denied as “inimical to public safety” are required to enroll in the ignition interlock device program for a period of three to six years in order to regain full driving privileges.

Our attorneys represent families in DUI wrongful death lawsuits throughout Minnesota: Twin Cities, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth, Moorhead, Mankato, Brainerd, Bloomington, Eagan, Eden Prarie, Apple Valley, Maple Grove, Edina, Plymouth, Minnetonka, Stillwater, Thief River Falls, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Austin, Worthington, Woodbury, Maplewood, Golden Valley, Shoreview, Blaine, Anoka, South St. Paul, White Bear Lake, Roseville, St. Cloud, Arden Hills, Brooklyn Park, Forest Lake.

The recall is expected to being on or before August 15, 2011 and affects nearly 27,000 vehicles. At that time, dealers will replace the switches free of charge.

Minnesota Accident and Product Liability Attorney

Pritzker Olsen accident and product liability attorneys have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of people hurt or killed in accidents caused by defective products. Our lawyers have represented victims in lawsuits against major manufacturers and motor vehicle accident claims involving all of the major auto insurers, including Geico, State Farm, Progressive, Farmers, American Family, Liberty Mutual and others.

For more information about a Minnesota product liability lawsuit, call our toll free number 1-888-377-8900 or submit our online consultation form.

Chrysler has yet to provide an owner notification schedule for the 242,780 vehicles affected by this recall. Once notified, the owner will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have the tie rod ends inspected for relative orientation, to have the left outer tie rod replaced as required and to align the front end toe as needed, free of charge. Information on this and other recalls may be found at safercar.gov.

Minnesota Car Accident Lawyer

When we are retained in a Minnesota car accident case, we investigate to determine whether there is a product liability angle. The product liability angle needs to be pursued for the following reasons:

• to hold those responsible accountable for wrongs suffered by innocent victims
• to have another avenue of recovery to provide additional compensation

PritzkerOlsen, P.A. attorneys have a record of success handling complex product liability cases nationwide. We have won tens of millions on behalf of people hurt or killed by defective products. For a free consultation about a product liability lawsuit, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online contact form.

Car-semi truck accidents

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 >>>

• Cadillac Escalade
• Cadillac Escalade ESV 1500
• Cheverolet Silverado
• Chevrolet Suburban 1500
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• GMC Sierra
• GMC Yukon
• GMC Yukon XL1500

If the steering linkage bolts are not tightened to the proper specification, it could allow the joints to separate and the driver could experience loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash. Approximately 750 vehicles are affected by this recall, which is due to begin on or before July 13, 2011. For more information, visit safercar.gov.

Pritzker Olsen attorneys represent people injured in car accidents in the Twin Cities and across the state of Minnesota. Our firm has gained a national reputation in the area of product liability and our attorneys have been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lawyers USA and other publications. Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman have been named Minnesota Super Lawyers by Law & Politics magazine. Fred Pritzker is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America. To contact Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.

The 6,768 vehicles affected by this recall may have been built with an automatic transmission adjustment clip that may not retain the shift cable in the correct position. If the shift cable is not in the correct position, the PRNDL shift lever may not accurately reflect the position of the transmission gear. The driver may mistakenly think that the car is in park and exit the vehicle. The vehicle could roll away striking a person around the vehicle or could result in a crash without prior warning.

The recall is set to begin on or about July 19, 2011. At that time, GM dealers will install a new automatic transmission adjustment clip at no cost. Go to safercar.gov for more information.

If you have suffered personal injury due to a defective motor vehicle, contact one of our product liability and car accident lawyers for a free consultation by calling 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.

FREE consultation with an attorney >>>

There are many types of distractions that cause drivers to put lives at risk including, eating, drinking, reading, watching TV, as well as portable electronic device usage. (Cell phone usage, both talking and texting, has emerged as a serious threat to safety on our roads.) There are also less obvious forms of distractions such as daydreaming or dealing with strong emotions that can present potentially dangerous situ­ations for drivers.

If you were injured or a loved one was injured or killed in a Minnesota auto accident that was not your fault, you deserve fair compensation for your injuries or loss. Call toll free 1-888-377-8900 to discuss a MN car accident personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

Wrong Way Driver Negligence

If there is sufficient evidence to prove that a wrong way driver involved in an accident was distracted, that will generally result in a finding of driver negligence. The four elements of driver negligence are:

• Duty
• Breach of Duty
• Direct or Proximate Cause
• Injury

Each of the above elements must be proved by a preponderance of the evidence. Pritzker Olsen auto accident attorneys have years of experience with Minnesota auto accident cases and a record of success. We know how to gather evidence and use it to build a winning case.

Minnesota Car Accident Lawyer

The lawyers at Pritzker Olsen law firm have been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lawyers USA and other publications. Attorney Fred Pritzker is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. For information about your rights and remedies following a MN car accident, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.

Our attorneys represent families in car accident wrongful death cases throughout Minnesota, including in the following cities: Twin Cities, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth, Moorhead, Mankato, Blaine, Anoka, South St. Paul, White Bear Lake, Roseville, Brainerd, Bloomington, Eagan, Eden Prarie, Apple Valley, Maple Grove, Jackson, Edina, Plymouth, Minnetonka, Stillwater, Thief River Falls, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Austin, Worthington, Woodbury, Maplewood, Golden Valley, Shoreview, St. Cloud, Arden Hills, Brooklyn Park, Forest Lake.

A missing or incorrectly installed pivot rivet could compromise the ability of the steering column to support the occupant loads in the event of a frontal crash. This could decrease the effectiveness of the frontal impact safety system, increasing the potential for injury in a frontal crash.

This recall includes the following 2011 models:

• Chrysler 200
• Chrysler 200 Convertible
• Chrysler Town & Country
• Dodge Avenger
• Dodge Caliber
• Dodge Grand Caravan
• Dodge Journey
• Dodge Nitro
• Jeep Compass
• Jeep Liberty
• Jeep Patriot
• Jeep Wrangler

The safety recall is expected to begin in June 2011. At that time, dealers will inspect for rivet presence and alignment and do needed repairs on the steering column pivot, free of charge. For more information on this Chrysler recall, visit safercar.gov.

Minnesota Car Accident Lawyer for Product Liability Lawsuit

Every car accident needs to be investigated to determine if there is a product liability angle to the case. This is important for two reasons:

1. to hold responsible parties accountable for wrongs suffered
2. to have another avenue of recovery (more liable parties increases access to additional compensation)

Product liability claims are complex, requiring diligence and expertise. Pritzker Olsen law firm has a national practice with a record of success handling product liability cases. We have won tens of millions on behalf of people hurt or killed by defective products. Call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) for information about a Minnesota car accident involving product liability issues.

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