Tao Thao has been the sole breadwinner in the family since Yia Vang was laid off of his welding job.

A benefit fund has been set up in Yia Vang’s name. Donations can be taken at all Wells Fargo locations.

Lao Thao, Tao Thao’s brother has asked the community for help because the Vang family is not able to buy food or clothes or to pay for housing.

Minnesota Dram Shop Laws: Holding Sellers of Liquor Accountable

State Patrol spokesman Capt. Matt Langer told the Star Tribune that Connie Stroud, 42, of Minneapolis, “had way too much to drink to be driving.” She was driving a Toyota pickup truck. Given the size of Ms. Stroud’s vehicle, it is amazing more people from the Vang family were not killed.

It has not been reported where Ms. Stroud drank before she drove, but if it was a “dram shop,” that establishment could be liable for the wrongful death of Jaylee Chang Vang, the unborn child who was killed in the head-on crash, and the injuries suffered by Tao Thao, Yia Vang and the other children.

Minnesota law holds dram shops responsible for the dangerous actions of an intoxicated person when they illegally sell liquor to that person. Dram shops can include bars, liquor stores, restaurants, social clubs, and even private events where liquor is sold.

Under Minnesota Statutes, Section 340.801, Subdivision 1:

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.

If your family has been hit by a drunk driver, contact Pritzker Olsen law firm for a free consultation: 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), email Fred Pritzker or submit our online consultation form.

Pritzker Olsen attorneys have been interviewed and quoted by The Star Tribune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Lawyers USA and other publications.  Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman were named Minnesota Super Lawyers by Law & Politics magazine (Aug. 2009), and Fred Pritzker is listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

The victim of Tuesday’s school bus accident near downtown Minneapolis has been identified as Theodore Q. Larson, 81, of Coon Rapids.

According to police reports quoted in the Star Tribune newspaper, the Minnesota bus-pedestrian accident happened about 2:20 p.m. when the bus was turning left from E. 15th Street onto Park Avenue.

The driver reportedly told police he didn’t see the man.

It was the second fatal motor vehicle accident to happen near downtown Minneapolis in daylight hours in two weeks. Last week, a bicyclist was killed at E. 14th Street and Park Avenue when he was struck by a semitractor trailer that was turning left. Reports stated that bicyclist Dennis Dumm, 31, was struck when the truck driver took a wide left turn.

Both accidents involve legal principles that are best understood by lawyers who have years of experience representing victims and their next of kin in wrongful death actions. The attorneys at Minnesota-based Pritzker Olsen, P.A., specialize in motor vehicle accidents — including motor vehicle-bicycle collisions — and have collected tens of millions of dollars for victims and survivors of serious crashes.

Accidents involvings school buses, for instance, involve state and federal laws because the buses are classified as common carriers and are obligated to operate with a higher level of safety. Pritzker Olsen understands the liabilities of bus companies in bus accident lawsuits.

To contact a Minnesota fatal accident lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation.

Minneapolis police say the car was carrying five people when the crashed occurred about 9 p.m.at Fifth Avenue South and South Fourth Street. The truck driver, who was the only occupant of the truck, received minor injuries, police told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

No additional information about the crash was available.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call the Minnesota car accident lawyers at Pritzer Olsen attorneys. The firm has recovered millions of dollars for accident victims and has the resources to do its own investigation of serious accidents.

To contact Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete a free case consultation form online.

The charges against Gregory T. Benedix, 43, relate to his SUV hitting 86-year-old Jerome Meuwissen as he crossed Highway 41 at Second Street in a marked crosswalk on December 3. Meuwissen died from his injuries.

The Star Tribune newspaper reported the charges and said the incident prompted some Chaska residents to rally for a stoplight at the intersection. Minnesota Department of Transportation officials began a safety study but the intersection is still without a stoplight.

If you have been in a Minnesota car accident and the other driver did not yield the right-of-way, you may have a claim against the driver, the owner of the other vehicle and others for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, cost of care and other damages.

To contact PritzkerOlsen, P.A., for a free consultation on your MN car accident, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit the firm’s free online case consultation form.

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.

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.

Even if the final count rises to 450, as some officials expect, it would be the lowest number of traffic deaths on record in a single year for Minnesota since 1944.

Back then, 356 motorists were killed on Minnesota roads. The final 2007 death total was 510.

The Winter 2009 edition of MPH, the newsletter of the Office of Traffic Safety at MnDOT, said the preliminary traffic death total includes 69 motorcyclists – up from 61 in 2007 and 12 bicyclist deaths – up from four in 2007. The newsletter said the 2008 death total reflects 160 people inside vehicles who were not wearing a seat belt.

Pedestrian deaths totaled 25, ATV operators 6, school bus passengers 4, other bus passengers 1 and snowmobilers 1.

PritzkerOlsen Attorneys, a premier personal injury law firm with a national reputation and proven success in recovering compensation their clients deserve, has a Minnesota car accident lawyer for any type of motor vehicle accident or bicycle accident that causes serious injury or takes a life.

When someone dies in a Minnesota car accident due to the negligence of another, the spouse and next of kin can recover monetary damages for the car accident death under Minnesota wrongful death law.

In law enforcement circles, St. Patrick’s Day has its own set of statistics that a good car accident lawyer knows from experience.

Statewide on St. Patrick’s Day, alcohol-related car accidents accounted for seven of 13 traffic deaths over the three most recent years for which statistics are available: 2005-2007.

During that same period, 1,575 impaired drivers were arrested for DWI.
With that in mind, State Troopers, city police departments and sheriff’s deputies are encouraging St. Patrick’ Day pub-goers and partiers to plan ahead for a sober ride home.

Officers in many municipalities and counties across the state will increase patrols in search of unlucky leprechauns who choose to drink and drive on St. Patrick’s Day.

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.

The car accident lawyers at PritzkerOlsen Attorneys are deeply experienced in representing car accident victims and their survivors. Very often, our investigators find a dram shop claim is part of an auto accident case. When a dram shop claim is part of a fatal car accident case, our lawyers know how to fight for fair compensation.

Absence of tire tread and low tire pressure are factors that can contribute to Minnesota car accident injuries and deaths.  If you are involved in an injury crash, a car accident lawyer at PritzkerOlsen Attorneys can determine the elements of driver negligence and provide premier representation in recovering compensation for your losses.

According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly one in 10 passenger cars on U.S. roads are driven with at least one bald tire.

Another major NHTSA study in 2001 found that 14 percent of gas stations are either not equipped with air pumps or have malfunctioning pumps. Also, only 49 percent of gas stations that are equipped with air pumps provide tire pressure gauges, which are critical to determining if the correct amount of air has been delivered to tires.

Here’s what the NHTSA had to say in research findings that are still prominent in the field:

“Tire tread provides the gripping action and traction that prevent a vehicle from sliping and sliding, especially when the road is wet or icy. In general, tires are not safe and should be replaced when the tread is worn down to 1/16th of an inch. Tires have built-in treadwear indicators that let a motorist know when they should be replaced. These indicators are raised sections spaced intermittently in the bottom of the tread grooves. When they appear “even” with the outside of the tread, it’s time for tire replacement.”

“Bald tires are between 1.5 and 1.8 times more likely to be underinflated than are tires with deeper tread, depending on tire location.”

“Twenty-seven percent of passenger cars on U.S. roadways are driven with one or more substantially under-inflated tires.”

Besides increasing the risk of blowouts, under-inflated tires also shorten tire life and increase fuel consumption.

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.