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.
Auto Hit by a Semi Truck: MN Lawyer Explains How He Proved Fault
In the video below, MN lawyer Eric Hageman explains how he proved fault in a case where an auto was hit by a semi truck on a Minnesota freeway. To contact a Minnesota personal injury lawyer at Pritzker Olsen law firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form for a free consultation.
Our law firm, located in Minneapolis, MN, recently resolved a truck case in which we represented a husband and wife whose auto was hit by a semi truck on a Minnesota highway. When we initially got the case, we were not sure who was at fault, so we began an investigation. We hired an accident reconstruction expert to piece together the forensic evidence at the scene:
- Skid marks
- Tire treads
- Damage on vehicles
Our expert was able to determine that the truck that had sideswiped our clients’ auto, causing it to spin out of control, go through the median and hit another vehicle head on. We then hired an animationist to do an animation of the accident. With this evidence, we were able to demonstrate how the accident occurred, and we won over $2,000,000 for our clients.
Attorney Eric Hageman at the 2010 Create a Memory Event
Attorney Eric Hageman and Joe
Drunk Driver Injury Accident Lawyer: Drunk Driving Crackdown
Alcohol-related crashes account for one-third of all Minnesota traffic deaths annually. Minnesotans want change. They want drunk drivers off the roads. Some legislative changes have been made this year in an attempt to crackdown on drunk drivers.
In May, Governor Tim Pawlenty signed legislation to strengthen sanctions against DWI offenders. It would require certain offenders to use ignition interlock devices. The legislation makes it possible for DWI offenders to regain driving privileges by ensuring safe and legal driving through the use of interlocks. Forty-six states have implemented interlock requirements for DWI offenders and research shows that the use of interlocks may reduce repeat DWI offenses by 45 percent to 90 percent.
Once installed in a vehicle, interlock devices require a driver to provide a breath sample in order for the vehicle to start. If the breath test shows an alcohol-concentration level of 0.02 or above the vehicle will not start. The system does have a safe guard in place to deter others from starting the vehicle for the intended user. Highlights of the legislation include:
DWI offenders with a 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level will be required to have ignition interlock devices installed on any vehicle they drive.
DWI offenders with a 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level that choose not to use ignition interlocks will not have driving privileges ranging from one year to six years — depending on offense level. Offenders with three or more DWIs in a 10-year period will be required to use interlocks.
Interlock users will regain full driving privileges immediately after the offense, ensuring they are driving with a valid license and not a threat on the roadway.
Interlocks will be used to monitor chronic DWI offenders (three or more DWIs in 10 year period) to verify chemical use.
Drunk Driving Crackdown: Toward Zero Deaths Campaign
In Minnesota, one in seven drivers has a DWI on their driving record. Every year more than 30,000 motorists are arrested for driving while intoxicated.
Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) is a Minnesota partnership led by the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Health. The Minnesota State Patrol, the Federal Highway Administration, Minnesota county engineers and the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota are also cooperating in this campaign.
Their mission is to create a culture for which traffic fatalities and serious injuries are no longer acceptable. They hope to accomplish this through education, engineering, enforcement (stepped-up DWI enforcement campaigns are key), and emergency medical and trauma services.
Drunk Driver Injury Accident Lawyer
The legislation and TZD campaign sound great on paper, but the issue is and always has been that the penalties have to be harsh enough to be a true deterrent — and they have to be administered. There are too many excuses made, loopholes jumped through and leniency granted gratuitously.
Contact an attorney with PritzkerOlsen, P.A. if you been in a drunk driver injury accident. We have recovered millions for victims of drunk drivers, including a $6,000,000 verdict for a passenger whose right leg was traumatically amputated when the motorcycle on which she was a passenger was struck by a drunk driver. Call 612-338-0202 or 1-888-377-8900.
Minnesota Personal Injury Lawyer for Auto Injury
The Pritzker Olsen firm and Super Lawyers Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman practice exclusively in the area of personal injury law and have extensive Minnesota auto accident litigation experience. We represent people who have sustained auto injuries, including the following:
- Amputation
- Broken Bones
- — calcaneus fracture
- — femur fracture
- — tibia fracture
- — tibial plateau fracture
- Collapsed Lung Injury
- Kidney Damage
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
- Whiplash
Auto Injury Settlement Lawyer
If you have sustained an auto injury, you may be wondering what type of claim may be filed to obtain compensation. There are two kinds of auto accident claim settlements. The first type of settlement is a property settlement for the damages to your car. In Minnesota, this is filed against your no-fault insurance. The second type of settlement is a personal injury claim for your auto injuries. An auto injury settlement can involve multiple insurance companies, a dram shop, trucking companies and others.
To reach a lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. for a free consultation about a Minnesota auto injury accident, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.
