Multimillion Dollar Verdict in Wrongful Death of Bicyclist Run over by a Semi Trailer in Minneapolis
Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman won a $2,469,339 verdict in a MN wrongful death case for the family of a bicyclist who died when she was run over by the rear wheels of the trailer of a right-turning semi truck at a busy intersection in Minneapolis. The family is pleased that someone has been held accountable for her death. Immediately after the accident, it didn’t look like anyone would be.
The police officers who investigated the accident determined that the bicyclist should have seen the truck and that the accident occurred because she was unable to remove her feet from her new clipless bicycle pedals. Attorneys Pritzker and Hageman proved otherwise.
After obtaining the truck driver’s logbooks, they were able to determine that there were numerous falsifications, which should have caused the driver to be out of service at the time of the accident. Moreover, the deposition revealed that the truck driver had failed to monitor his right outside mirrors during his turn. This failure was compounded by the truck driver’s admission that he believed he was pulling a 48-foot trailer, as opposed to a 53-foot trailer.
After an eight-day trial where Pritzker and Hageman presented their evidence, the jury found 70% fault on the truck driver and 30% fault on the bicyclist and awarded her heirs and next of kin $2,469,339 in damages.
Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman have the experience and resources to win tough cases. They do their own investigation of every accident, using accident reconstruction specialists and other experts to prove semi truck driver negligence. Contact Minnesota lawyers Fred and Eric for a free consultation. Our law firm is not paid unless you win.
Two Dead and One Seriously Injured in Hugo, MN Semi Trailer Accident
White Bear Press - Photo by Paul Dols
Two people are dead and one person is seriously injured after a semi truck rear-ended a minivan on Highway 61 near Hugo, Minnesota.
The minivan was slowing in the north-bound lane of Highway 61 to make a left hand turn onto 159th Street when the semi truck, also in the north-bound lane, rear-ended it.
When a semi truck rear ends another vehicle, there are usually two factors at play, speed and inattentiveness. When semi truck driver negligence causes an accident, several parties may be liable (legally responsible to pay money to compensate victims and families), including the driver, the employer of the driver, the owner of the tractor, the owner of the trailer, the owner of the freight and others. Injury victims and families of people who die due to the negligence of another have a right to compensation under Minnesota law.
Our primary job as Minnesota semi truck accident lawyers is to do everything necessary to recover as much money as possible for our clients. We are also public safety advocates. Our clients often want to see changes to the law to prevent tragedies similar to their own. We help them fight for these changes. One of our clients recently spoke before a U.S. House committee.
The Minnesota State Patrol has released the names of the victims. Two women died: Carolyn Anderson, 59, of Eagan, Minnesota, the driver of the minivan, and Rosemarie Bongivanni, 88, of St. Paul, Minnesota, one of the passengers. Another passenger, Marlene Wanner, 72, of Oakdale, Minnesota, was seriously injured. Marlene Wanner and the families of Carolyn Anderson and Rosemarie Bongivanni deserve justice.
To contact a Minnesota semi truck accident attorney at Pritzker Olsen law firm, please call 612-338-0202, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form for a free consultation. We are not paid unless you win.
Attorney Fred Pritzker has appeared on CBS News, KARE-TV, KSTP-TV and WCCO-TV. He was again named a “Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyer” and “Top 40 Minnesota Personal Injury Lawyer.” He has been informed that he will again be listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2010 edition). He and his team have collected millions for truck accident victims and their families.
Minnesota Dump Truck and Motorcycle Accident Critically Injures Motorcyclist
A Mack tandem dump truck hit a motorcycle in Winona, Minnesota, critically injuring the motorcyclist. According to The Winona Post, “Ryan J. Stachowitz, 25, of Winona, was transported to Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse with a serious head injury after the accident at about 8:40 a.m., according to the Minnesota State Patrol.”
The State Patrol listed the accident as a broadside collision.
This accident is still being investigated and “fault” has not been established. However, the information below may be of interest.
Dump Truck Accident: Liable Parties
Liable parties in a dump truck accident lawsuit may include any of the following:
- The owner of the dump truckThe owner of the load
- The driver of the dump truck
- The employer of the truck driver (may be a company that does not own the truck)
- The manufacturer of the dump truck if the accident was caused by a defective part or a bad design
- A third-party maintenance company if the cause of the accident was poor maintenance on the dump truck
Dump Truck Accident Victim Compensation
If the dump truck driver was at fault, even partially, the motorcyclist involved in this accident may seek compensation from liable parties for any of the following that apply:
- Medical expenses
- Cost of care
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of quality of life
- Other damages
To contact Pritzker Olsen Attorneys for a free consultation about a motorcycle accident and/or dump truck accident, please call 612-338-0202, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form. We do not get paid unless you win.
Our lawyers have appeared on CBS News, Fox’s “Geraldo Live,” KARE-TV, KSTP-TV and WCCO-TV. Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman have once again been named “Super Lawyers” by Law & Politics, a Minnesota legal journal.
$3 Million Award in Street Sweeper Crash
A jury in Duluth has awarded a 29-year-old mother of three $2.96 million for injuries she suffered when the janitorial cleaning van she was driving struck a slow-moving street sweeper operated by a crew from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
The state tendered a $300,000 settlement, the statutory maximum. But the woman, Bobbie Wakefield, filed an underinsured motorist complaint against the insurer of the van owned by Glory Shine Janitorial Cleaning.
The Duluth News Tribune reported that the six-person jury deliberated 5.5 hours before returning its decisions about 11 p.m. Wednesday. The newspaper said the award was one of the biggest ever by a jury in Duluth. The trial lasted six days.
Ms. Wakefield suffered mild traumatic brain injury and other injuries when the van collided with the 15,000-pound street sweeper in 2002. The street sweeper was traveling about 22 miles per hour in a traffic lane on Interstate 35 near Thompson Hill. There was no early-warning vehicle trailing the sweeper, which was operating at one of the busiest times of the day – 4:30 p.m.
The driver of the street sweeper was ticketed for driving below the freeway minimum of 40 mph.
The car and truck accident lawyers at PritzkerOlsen Attorneys represent injured people in claims pertaining to similar instances of transportation negligence. Our lawyers have decades of experience and a national reputation for excellence in the areas of personal injuries and wrongful death. Contact us today at 612-338-0202 or 1-888-377-8900 (toll free).
Announcer Killed at Monster Truck Show
The promoter and announcer of a Monster Truck Nationals show in Madison, Wisconsin, was struck and killed Saturday night by a monster truck on the floor of the Alliant Energy Center.
The Wisconsin State Journal said the man was George Eisenhart Jr., 41, of Chardon, Ohio.
It was the second monster truck and thrill show death in one week. On Jan. 16, 6-year-old Sebastian Hizey died at Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, after a frisbee-sized chunk of metal flew off a truck that was doing donuts. The show in Tacoma was unaffiliated with the show in Madison, which was staged by Image Promotions Ltd of Chardon, Ohio, according to Image Productions’ website.
WKOW-TV in Madison received a video of the crash, which showed Eisenhart on the floor of the arena, about 10 or 15 feet from the side boards. A frame of the video taken one second before impact showed him about to get run over by the monster truck’s oversized front left tire.
An ambulance was called to the floor of the arena and the victim was taken away on a stretcher. Authorities said he died at University of Wisconsin Hospital.
Eisenhart was interviewed by WKOW-TV in advance of the weekend’s scheduled entertainment. They identified him as the president of Image Productions. Eisenhart gave the following quote on the topic of accidents at monster truck rallies: “This is our 16th year, and I wish I had a big peice of wood to knock on right now but we have not had an incident besides a gal slipping in the aisle at another location,” Eisenhart told the interviewer.
If you or a family member has suffered injuries from a truck accident or from flying debris from another vehicle, please contact us for a free consultation: 612-338-0202, 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or free consultation form. Our law firm has extensive experience in the area of fatal accidents and truck accident litigation.
