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 165th 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 
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.
Zipper Merge in Construction Zone May Prevent Auto Accidents
by Attorney Eric Hageman 
Instead of merging early in a construction zone, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is urging drivers to wait to merge until the defined merge area and then alternate in “zipper” fashion into the open lane. When you see the “lane closed ahead” sign and traffic backing up, stay in your current lane up to the point of merge (where you can see the orange cones closing off one lane). Then take turns with other drivers to safely and smoothly ease into the open lane.
Early merging (as opposed to zipper merging) can lead to dangerous lane switching, serious crashes and road rage. Research shows that these are decreased when drivers zipper merge into the open lane.
The benefits of zipper merging include the following:
- Reducing differences in speeds between two lanes;
- Reducing the overall length of traffic backup (by as much as 40 percent);
- Reducing congestion on freeway interchanges; and
- Creating a sense of fairness and equity that all lanes are moving at the same rate.
Below is a video explaining how to zipper merge. As an accident attorney and father of 5 children, I recommend you show this to your teenage and young adult children.
Attorney Eric Hageman travels throughout Minnesota and the United States representing accident victims and their families in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against drivers, trucking companies and others. His offices are in Minneapolis, MN. To contact Eric for a free consultation, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form. Watch Eric’s video at “Personal Injury Car Accident MN.”
Head-On Collisions Cause Personal Injury on Minnesota Roads
The Minnesota State Patrol reported 6 accidents Sunday, three of them head on collisions:
- A head on collision on Highway 59 north of Slayton, MN resulted in injuries, according to the Minnesota State Patrol, but the conditions of the 4 people involved in the accident are not yet documented. Frank Kemper was driving a Chevrolet Silverado northbound on Highway 59 when he lost control and hit head on Warren Suckow of Slayton, MN and Bonita Suckow of Lismore, MN. Assisting were the Murray County Sheriff’s Office and Slayton Rescue & Ambulance and the Slayton Fire Department.
- Derek Naslund, 18, of Thief River Falls, MN failed to yield at the intersection of County Road 7 and 120 Avenue (Pennington County near TRF) and broadsided Kimberly Bitzer. On impact, Ms. Bitzer entered the ditch and rolled, sustaining personal injury.
- A head on collision in Bemidji, MN resulted in the injury of a Little Canada woman. The Beltrami County Sheriff Office responded. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a Pontiac Bonneville driven by Jason Norvold of Bemidji was southbound on Highway 71 approaching the Highway 2 ramp when a Dodge Calibre driven by Brina Ellison of Little Canada attempted to cross both lanes of Highway 71 and crashed head on with Norvold. There were also 2 passengers in Ellison’s vehicle. According to the State Patrol report, the passengers had “no apparent injury,” but our experience is that soft tissue injuries (whip lash, etc.) can surface a couple of weeks after an accident.
- A Honda Accord and Dodge Caravan were involved in a head on collision east of Bingham Lake, MN at the intersection of Highway 60 and County Road 2 (Cottonwood County). Delores Peters of Mountain Lake, MN, driving the Honda Accord, was traveling eastbound on Highway 60 when she hit the shoulder of the road, lost control of her car and struck head on the Dodge Caravan, which was driven by Alexander Sorensen of Comfrey, MN. Damone Sorensen, also of Comfrey, was a passenger in the Caravan. Injuries were serious enough to require immediate treatment.
- Cecil Boerner of Marshall, MN was driving southbound on Highway 4 north of St. James, MN, when he lost control and entered the northbound lanes, sideswiping Terril Smith of Comfrey, MN, who was driving a Pontiac Bonneville, and hit head on Maria Puentes of Sleepy Eye, MN, who was driving a GMC Sierra. Ms. Puentes suffered injury, according to the Minnesota State Patrol report. The Watonwan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident.
- Four people were transported to the hospital after an accident on Highway 212 near Dawson, MN. Dennis Schueller of Dawson was making a left turn in a Cadillac in a snow cloud when he rear ended a Dodge Charger driven by Steven Kerkvliet of Castlewood, South Dakota. Nicole Kerdvleit was a passenger in the Charger and Harriet Schueller was a passenger in the Cadillac.
The Minnesota State Patrol accident report is only preliminary. Contact our law firm for a free consultation regarding an independent investigation of your accident and information on how to protect your legal rights.
Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman have been named Minnesota “Super Lawyers” for 2012 and past years and Brendan Flaherty has been named a “Rising Star” for three consecutive years, including 2012. Fred and Eric were also named “Attorneys of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer, a respected legal publication. Our Minnesota car accident lawyers represent accident victims and their families throughout Minnesota.
