Bicycle Hit-and-Run in Minneapolis, Lawyers Discuss DWI Liability, Wrongful Death and the Family’s Legal Rights

A tragic hit-and-run accident appears to have been caused by a drunk driver. Our thoughts are with the family today.

This morning, Minneapolis Police were called to an accident at the intersection of East Lake Street and Cedar Avenue South in Minneapolis around 2:15 a.m. The caller reported a personal injury accident, but found a bicyclist deceased at the scene. The driver of the car that had hit the bike had fled from the scene.

Witnesses provided police with a description of the vehicle involved, and shortly after, it was located near Franklin Avenue East and Bloomington Avenue South. The driver, Juan Ricardo Hernandez-Campoceco, 27, was arrested after showing signs of alcohol intoxication, processed for DWI, and booked into the Hennepin County Jail for criminal vehicular homicide.

Campoceco will most likely be charged with criminal vehicle operation. Under Minnesota Statutes 609.21, a person is guilty of criminal vehicular homicide or operation and may be sentenced if the person causes the death of another person as a result of operating a motor vehicle:

In a negligent manner while under the influence of alcohol;
While having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more; or
Where the driver who causes the accident leaves the scene of the accident in violation of Minnesota law.

A conviction under criminal law will not provide compensation to the family of the bicyclist killed in this accident. The family has the legal right to file claims against the driver and perhaps others under Minnesota’s wrongful death laws. The family can recover compensation for financial losses, like lost income, loss of companionship and other damages.

A bar, restaurant or other seller of alcohol may also be legally responsible for this accident. Under Minnesota dram shop laws, a family can file a wrongful death claim against a bar, nightclub, restaurant or other licensed establishment that sold alcohol to an intoxicated at-fault driver if the liquor was sold:

to the driver when he or she was obviously intoxicated;
without a license to do so;
after hours; or
to a minor.

The driver in this case was not a minor, but Attorney Fred Pritzker and his Accident Law Team can help you find out if any of the others apply. You can contact Fred for a FREE consultation HERE.

The amount available to the family under the at-fault driver’s insurance is usually not enough to fully and fairly compensate the family. This is one reason why a dram shop claim is important. The other reason is because it is a deterrent to bad behavior. Bars should not serve liquor to obviously drunk people knowing they may seriously injure or kill someone while driving home. They should also be punished for violating the law and serving alcohol without a license, after hours or to a minor.

You can get a FREE consultation HERE with our bicycle accident lawyers, located in Minneapolis, MN. Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman are Minnesota “Super Lawyers” for this and past years. Fred and Eric were named “Minnesota Attorneys of the Year” for winning a wrongful death lawsuit for a family whose wife and mother was run over by a semi-trailer.

The Minneapolis Police Department is asking for any witnesses to contact them at 612-692-TIPS. Let’s make sure justice is done.

Recall of Turkey Jerky by Hoffman Town & Country in Detroit Lakes: Free Consultation with Minnesota Salmonella Lawyer

Minnesota food safety attorney Fred Pritzker represents Salmonella victims nationwide. He is now investigating the outbreak of salmonellosis (Salmonella infection) caused by turkey jerky sold at Hoffman Town & Country Meat Market in Detroit Lakes, MN. Four Minnesotans have been sickened.

[button link="http://minnesotapersonalinjurylawyer.com/contact/" color="orange"] Contact Fred for a free case review here.[/button]

“I have handled many cases of Salmonella food poisoning in Minnesota,” said Fred Pritzker, lead attorney for our Salmonella litigation team. “My experience is that contamination of food with Salmonella bacteria is generally preventable.”

Salmonella victims experience severe abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. In some cases, they develop reactive arthritis. All outbreak victims have the legal right to seek compensation from the business that caused their illness.

Turkey Jerky Recall Information

Turkey Jerky Salmonella Food Poisoning in MN

Get a free case review regarding Salmonella food poisoning from turkey jerky: 612-338-0202.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and Hoffman Town & Country Meat Market of Detroit Lakes, MN, issued a consumer advisory for whole-muscle turkey jerky after state investigators linked the product to four cases of illness caused by the same strain of Salmonella bacteria. All four Salmonella victims reported eating turkey jerky during the week prior to becoming ill (onsets of illness from August 2 through August 7). One of the cases lives in the Twin Cities metro area, and three in Greater Minnesota, including Becker County. One of the cases was hospitalized, but all have recovered.

Hoffman Town & Country Meat Market recalled all of its whole-muscle turkey jerky products sold on or before August 21, 2012. The turkey jerky was sold wrapped in white butcher paper.

Filing a lawsuit against the business responsible for the contamination serves two purposes: 1) to compensate those sickened for medical expenses, pain, emotional suffering, time off of work and other damages; and 2) to hold the business accountable and deter behavior that may have caused the contamination. Businesses are generally not fined for selling contaminated food, so it is up to the victims to hold them accountable.

Accident Victim Critically Injured in Head-On Crash on Highway 61 near Hugo and Forest Lake, MN

Youah Vu was critically injured in a head-on crash on Highway 61 at approximately 165^th Street, near Hugo and Forest Lake, MN. The driver of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck (name not yet released) was driving northbound in the southbound lane of Highway 61 when the driver hit Youah Vu (driving a Toyota Avalon) head on.

Head-On Collisions and Fault

This truck-car accident is still under investigation by the Minnesota State Patrol, but given the few facts established by the state patrol, it is likely that the driver of the pickup truck (who was driving the wrong way) was most likely at fault. In the many wrong-way cases our law firm has handled in the past, almost always the drivers have been in violation of at least one traffic law (e.g., drunk driving, unsafe passing, speeding, texting, etc.).

If, for example, the driver of the pickup was over the legal blood-alcohol limit and a bar or restaurant served him alcohol before the crash, Youah Vu may have claims against both the driver of the truck and the bar or restaurant under Minnesota dram shop laws. This is important because in many situations the insurance coverage of the at-fault driver is not enough money to fully compensate the accident victim.

Pritzker Olsen law firm has offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our lawyers can meet with you at a hospital, your home or at our offices. You can contact us at 612-338-0202 or by submitting the free consultation form.

Cryptosporidiosis at Edgewater Resort and Waterpark in Duluth, MN

Attorney Fred Pritzker

Cryptosporidium I and my infectious disease litigation team are investigating the cryptosporidiosis outbreak linked to the Edgewater Resort & Waterpark in Duluth, MN. Cryptosporidiosis, commonly known as crypto, is a diarrheal disease caused by microscopic parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium.

Cryptosporidiosis outbreaks are usually associated with swimming pools because the parasite is resistant to chlorine due to a protective outer shell. Swimmers get infected by swallowing Cryptosporidium cysts (eggs) that are in the pool water. It takes very few cysts to cause an infection.

Lawsuit against Edgewater Resort & Waterpark for Cryptosporidiosis

Victims of the outbreak are wondering if they have a case against the Edgewater for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages. You will need to contact me or one of the firm’s other attorneys to discuss the facts of your specific case. If you hire my law firm to represent you, you will not have to pay a fee unless we win your case.

To date there have been 22 confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis linked to the Edgewater Resort and 75 others who swam at the Edgewater waterpark. Because the incubation period for crypto can be up to 2 weeks, there may be additional reports of illness. As with most infectious disease outbreaks, the number of reported cases of illness with cryptosporidiosis outbreaks is far lower than the actual number of illnesses.

We encourage anyone who has symptoms of cryptosporidiosis (severe, watery diarrhea, fever, coughing) to see a doctor and get tested. If you test positive for crypto, contact me or another attorney at my firm for a free consultation.

Hubbard County, MN Accident Highlights Dangers of Taking Eyes off of the Road While Driving

A Mound, Minnesota man is in critical condition after his vehicle was hit from behind by a driver who “took his eyes off of the road for a second.”

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Mark Heath of Mound was southbound on Highway 71 waiting to make a left turn onto 150th street. At the same time, Isaac Lustila, driving a Pontiac Grand Am, was southbound on Highway 71 and took his eyes off of the road for a second. Lustila told the State Patrol that when he looked up and saw Mr. Heath’s Hyundai Santa Fe he braked and tried to pass on the right. Lustila hit the Santa Fe in the rear passenger side, pushing it into the northbound traffic lane, where it was hit by a Dodge Ram truck driven by Judith Teske of Livingston, Texas.

This tragic accident highlights the need for drivers to be alert at all times. Distracted driving involves more than cell phone use. Looking away from the road “for a second” to change the radio station, adjust the temperature or look at a billboard also causes distracted driving accidents. The primary reason our law firm does not have billboard advertisements is because we don’t want to do anything that would cause an accident.

If you or a family member has been injured in an accident involving a distracted driver (even one distracted for “a second”), contact our Minnesota personal injury lawyers for a free consultation (1-888-377-8900 toll free). Two of our attorneys, Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman, were named 2011 “Attorneys of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer, a respected legal publication, for a $2,560,000 verdict they won for a family in a bicycle accident wrongful death case involving a semi-trailer truck driver who didn’t see the bicyclist.

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