Fatal Accident in 35W Construction Zone Reminder to Use Caution
A tragic accident on 35W in Burnsville is a reminder that drivers need to use extra caution in construction zones.
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
Minnesota Dram Shop Liability Laws Help Prevent DUI Fatal Accidents
This post was written by Eric Hageman, an accident attorney with the Pritzker law firm in Minneapolis, MN. He represents accident victims throughout Minnesota and has won several settlements and verdicts over $2,000,000. He is available for a free consultation.
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.
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.
Keywords: rear ended by semitrailer truck lawyer MN, truck accident lawsuit liability, who can be sued for semi truck injuries or death, lawyer and attorney, rear-ended by a semi, semi car fatality
Fatal Car Accidents Kill 11 Minnesota Residents
Four fatal car accidents resulted in 11 car accident deaths within the span of three days in Minnesota on the weekend of April 23-25. Young drivers were involved in all four accidents.
Altura, Minnesota car accident: Three teenage girls died on County Rd. 27 on April 23 and a fourth was injured. The girls were found in a ditch where their pickup truck had overturned. Authorities told local news sources that it did not seem as if the girls were wearing seat belts.
Onamia, Minnesota car accident: A teenage girl was killed at the intersection of Hwy 27 and Hwy 169 Saturday night when her vehicle crossed Highway 169 while she was traveling eastbound on 27. She had stopped at a stopsign and proceeded into the intersection when a Jeep Grand Cherokee struck her Chevrolet Lumina broadside.
Cambridge, Minnesota car accident: In the deadliest car wreck of the three-day period, six people died near County Road 70 on Highway 95 early Sunday morning. The driver, a 16-year-old girl who reportedly had just gotten her license weeks prior, was the only survivor. The four passengers in the Pontiac Grand Am were killed when the car struck an oncoming SUV head-on. The two men in the SUV were killed in the head-on collision. News sources report alcohol was involved.
Bloomington, Minnesota car accident: A 23-year-old Burnsville woman was killed when her Honda hit a bridge pillar at high speed near the intersection of Interstate 494 and Interstate 35W.
Minnesota car accident attorneys at Pritzker Olsen law firm investigate the circumstances surrounding fatal car accidents and car accident injuries on behalf of victims and their families. Our attorneys learn as much as they can about their clients’ cases so they can obtain the maximum car crash settlement possible. A car accident settlement in a fatal accident case could include:
- Funeral expenses
- Medical expenses
- Potential earnings
- Loss of advice, comfort, assistance, protection, counsel and society
- Punitive damages against the defendant if the defendants actions show deliberate disregard of others’ rights or safety.
News sources:
http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/article_31e11456-501a-11df-a00d-001cc4c002e0.html
http://www.brainerddispatch.com/stories/042610/new_20100426023.shtml
http://www.startribune.com/local/north/92041709.html?page=2&c=y
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.
