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.

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.

If true, the results would be in line with the number of  Minnesota traffic fatalities last year — 456.

In a press release this week, DPS said 104 people have died in Minnesota road accidents through May 4, including six pedestrians and three motorcyclists. In 2008, the state hit the 100-fatality milestone on April 23.

Cheri Marti, director of  the DPS’ Office of Traffic Safety, noted that the 2009 tally would be lower if more people wore seat belts. She estimated that 700,000 Minnesotans do not wear seat belts.

Of eight traffic deaths statewide in April, for instance, five who died were not wearing seat belts, the DPS said.

“These fatal crashes involving unbelted motorists serve as a wake-up call,” Marti said in the press release. “Whatever your excuse is for not buckling up, these crashes demonstrate an excuse won’t help you when you are involved in a crash.”

Minnesota car accident lawyers at Pritzker Olsen have represented car accident victims and survivors for decades. Our attorneys are highly visible in the legal community as frequent speakers on car accident injuries, including traumatic brain injury. 

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car crash, a Minnesota car accident lawyer at Pritzker Olsen can be readily reached by calling 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or by completing one of our free online case consultation forms.

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.

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.

The CDC said the current national average motor vehicle death rate is well above the Healthy People 2010 objective.  The highest state death rate (Mississippi) is four times the lowest state rate (Massachusetts).

An article by the CDC cited in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said that during 1999-2005, compared with the national average of 15.4 deaths per 100,000 population, motor vehicle-related death rates were 36 percent lower in the Northeast (9.8 deaths per 100,000 population), 5 percent lower in the Midwest (14.7 deaths per 100,000 population), and 8 percent lower in the West (14.2  deaths per 100,000 population), but considerably higher in the South by 27 percent (19.5 deaths per 100,000 population).

The South accounted for 46 percent of deaths during the period studied, but only 36 percent of population.

The agency noted that a previous study suggested that drivers in the Southern rural areas may travel more miles, increasing the probability of serious collisions.

Prevention measures like lower blood alcohol concentration laws, vehicle safety improvements, better roads, improved emergency response, primary seat belt laws and alcohol checkpoints may help communities to save lives.

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.