Automobile Accident
Our Minnesota attorneys are willing to take a case through trial if they do not think a settlement offer is adequate. In a recent case, attorney Elliot Olsen took a case to trial instead of settling for the highest offer the insurance company offered, $10,000. Due to his experience, trial skills and powers of persuasion, Elliot won a $87,441.44 jury verdict for his client, a man who suffered soft-tissue damage and low-back pain. The result of this case was published in Minnesota Lawyer, a legal newspaper. Read the Minnesota Lawyer article on Elliot’s automobile accident jury verdict.
Automobile accidents are the most common source of personal injury lawsuits. When involved in an auto accident, there are two types of potential claims that can be made, no-fault claims and liability claims.
No-Fault Claims
Under Minnesota law, all motor vehicle owners must have no-fault coverage as part of their automobile insurance. With no-fault coverage, insurance is provided either by your insurance company or the insurance company of the car in which you were riding, regardless of who was at fault. Benefits of no-fault coverage may include:
- Compensation for wage loss
- Coverage of medical expenses
- Mileage costs
- Replacement of vehicle
Liability Claims
If the accident in which you were involved was mainly the fault of someone else, you can seek compensation for your damages as well as for pain and suffering. Additionally, the person who caused the accident may also be liable for intentional or reckless conduct. Liability claims are not automatic as are no-fault claims. To make a liability claim you must be able to prove four things:
- To prove the other person was at fault
- To prove that your injuries are a result of the other person’s actions
- You must meet at least one of the following criterion:
- Prove the existence of a permanent scar or disfigurement
- Sixty or more days of disability (inability to engage in normal activities)
- $4,000 or more in medical expenses
- Permanent Injury
- That you have undergone pain and suffering, emotional distress and/or disability, making you eligible to sue for damages.
Statute of Limitations for a Minnesota Automobile Accident
Under Minnesota Statute §541.05 subd. 1 (5) you must make a claim for your injuries within six years of the date of the accident.
Death in a Minnesota Automobile Accident
When someone dies in an automobile accident, their spouse and next of kin can recover monetary damages. Under Minnesota Statutes, Section 573, these damages may include:
- Funeral expenses
- Medical expenses
- Potential earnings
- Loss of advice, comfort, assistance, protection, council and society
- Punitive Damages
Minnesota automobile accident attorneys at Pritzker | Ruohonen represent Minnesota automobile victims throughout Minnesota including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Rochester, Farmington, Duluth, Thief River Falls, Wilmar, Alexandria and Forest Lake.