Killed in a Head-On Collision Attorney MN
Our attorneys have a national reputation and have been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Lawyers USA and others. They have won millions for the families of people killed in accidents, including a recent settlement of $2.8 million. To contact Pritzker Olsen attorneys about your loved one killed in a head-on collision in Minnesota, please call 1-888-377-8900 or submit our online form for a free consultation.
Under Minnesota law, there is a presumption of negligence on the part of anyone who does one of the following:
- Crosses the median and hits another vehicle head on
- Moves into the wrong lane and hits another vehicle head on
- Goes the wrong way on a one way street and has a head-on collision
- Goes the wrong way on a freeway ramp and collides with another vehicle
Our experience is that the at-fault driver in a head-on collision was distracted, drunk or asleep. If the driver was drunk, our lawyers investigate to determine if there is a dram shop claim. Under the Minnesota dram shop liability statute, a bar can be sued if the at-fault driver in a head on collision was drunk and had been drinking at the bar:
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 (Minnesota Statutes, Section 340.801, Subdivision 1).
Head-On Collision Wrongful Death Claim
In Minnesota, wrongful death claims are governed by Minnesota Statutes, section 573.02. According to the statute:
When death is caused by the wrongful act or omission of any person or corporation, the trustee appointed as provided in subdivision 3 [the trustee represents the surviving spouse and the next of kin] may maintain an action therefor if the decedent might have maintained an action, had the decedent lived, for an injury caused by the wrongful act or omission.
Minnesota Statutes, section 573, governs wrongful death cases in Minnesota. Under the statute, a decedent’s spouse and next of kin can sue for wrongful death, but damages are limited to financial loss resulting from the death, including:
- Funeral expenses
- Medical expenses
- Potential earnings
- Loss of advice, comfort, assistance, protection, counsel and society
- Punitive damages upon clear and convincing evidence that the acts of the defendant show deliberate disregard for the rights or safety of others.
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Drunk Driving Accident in MN Kills Mother of Six
A 48-year-old mother of six has died from injuries she received in a Minnesota auto accident in which her vehicle was struck by a motorist who was fleeing Roseville police.
The accident occurred after 7 p.m. Saturday at Larpenteur Avenue and Interstate 35E in St. Paul, killing Shoua Vang. She was a passenger in a car driven by her husband, who was released Sunday from Regions Hospital.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch reported that Roseville police identified the fleeing suspect as Tito Campbell, 33, of Roseville.
He reportedly was intoxicated at the time of the crash and jailed on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide, the newspaper said. An 8-year-old passenger in his car was also hospitalized with injuries described as non-life threatening.
When someone dies in a Minnesota car accident due to the negligence of another driver, next of kin can recover monetary damages for the car accident death. Read about compensation for families after a Minnesota car accident death.
Mrs. Vang was less than a mile away from her home when the accident occurred. The St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch reported that Campbell was driving a stolen car and that police had chased him at speeds of up to 90 mph. But the pursuit had been stopped due to Campbell’s reckless driving, the newspaper said.
Blong Xiong, one of Mrs. Vang’s six boys, told the newspaper that his mother immigrated to St. Paul from Laos in 1980. He described her as a kind-hearted mother who put family and community first. She also was very active in her church. All of these aspects of Mrs. Vang’s life should be considered when determining compensation for the family.
If you have been in a Minnesota accident and want to understand your legal rights and remedies against the driver of a vehicle, insurance companies, dram shops and others, contact a Minnesota car accident lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. for a free consultation: call 612-338-0202, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.
Two Minnesota Fatal Accidents Claim Four Lives
Two separate Minnesota fatal accidents have claimed four lives within the span of 12 hours, according to the State Patrol.
In the first accident, a Chevy Yukon SUV broadsided a car at a major intersection northwest of Duluth in Hermantown, killing the car’s driver and only passenger.
The intersection was controlled by a semaphore, but the State Patrol did not indicate which vehicle may have gone against a red light. The collision occurred early Monday morning, shortly after midnight at the four-lane divided highway intersection of Highway 53 and Arrowhead Road. The SUV was northbound on 53 and the car was westbound on Arrowhead, the patrol said.
The Duluth News-Tribune identified the car driver as Timonthy J. Schlies, 26, of Duluth. The State Patrol said the passenger in the car was Hans C. Warren, 27, of Duluth.
The driver of the SUV was Daniel D. Dougherty, 50 , of Hermantown. Dougherty, who was identified by the Duluth News-Tribune as the owner of Dougherty Funeral Home of Duluth, received no apparent injuries, according to the State Patrol.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car or truck accident, contact a Minnesota car accident lawyerat PritzkerOlsen Attorneys. As a premier car accident law firm, PritzkerOlsen has recovered millions for accident victims. Contact us at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit the firm’s online case consultation form for free.
About 11 hours after the Hermantown fatal accident, two people from Aberdeen, S.D., died from injuries they suffered on State Highway 12 in Big Stone County in a Minnesota semi truck accident. The patrol said the Kenworth truck tractor and trailer was eastbound while the car was westbound. The collision occurred in the eastbound lane and driver of the large truck suffered no apparent injuries.
The deceased were identified as Marcia B. Landon, 82, the driver, and William H. Landon, 86, a passenger.
Police Suspect Alcohol at Play in Fatal Crash
Minneapolis Police say they believe alcohol was a factor in a fatal, two-vehicle crash about 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning at a stoplight on Hiawatha Avenue.
The Star Tribune quoted Police Department spokesman Sgt. Bill Palmer as saying that a car driven by a 21-year-old man was stopped at a red light and was struck from behind by another car. The collision caused fire to erupt in the first car and the 21-year-old driver was found dead in the vehicle. His name has not been released.
The driver of the second car — a 33-year-old man – was arrested on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation, Palmer said. Toxicology reports on the suspect aren’t expected to be complete for more than a week. Meanwhile, no charges have been filed.
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.
Minnesota Car Accident near Snow Plow Kills Three
A southbound pickup truck driven by a 28-year-old man from Kandiyohi, Minnesota, inexplicably pulled into the northbound lane while trailing a snow plow, crashing head-on into a car carrying four family members.
The State Patrol said three of the family members died. Surviving the crash were the pickup truck’s driver, Daniel T. Kadlec, and the driver of the car, Mark Kingstrom, 54, of Sacred Heart, Minnesota.
According to the accident report, visibility was poor from blowing snow when the crash happened about 11:30 a.m. Saturday north of Olivia on State Highway 71. The three victims were Fred Kingstrom, 89, of Sacred Heart; Ebba Kingstrom, 83, of Sacred Heart; and daughter Andrea Kingstrom, 44, of Bird Island, Minnesota.
The report said the driver of the pickup truck suffered minor injuries while the driver of the car was treated and released from an area hospital.
The Star Tribune reported that the Kingstroms were on a 40-mile trip north from Sacred Heart to visit other family members at a birthday party in Willmar.
The newspaper quoted State Patrol Lt. Brian West as saying investigators are “not sure why the (pickup truck) would’ve gone into the wrong lane of traffic.” The report said the pickup had been following the snow plow in curves.
Hundreds of Minnesotans die in car accidents each year, with each instance raising immeasurable emotional pain and countless legal questions. The Minnesota car accident lawyers at PritzkerOlsen Attorneys in Minneapolis are deeply experienced in these tragedies and have a national reputation for representing injured car accident victims and the survivors of those who die in multi-vehicle crashes.
