St. Cloud Personal Injury Lawyer - Drunk Driving

Safe Holiday: Thanksgiving Weekend Let's Have No Drinking And Driving

Mike Bryant — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:33:00 GMT

In particular, the holiday weekends have been targeted as times that need the extra vigilance. To many people take to the roads after drinking. It is important that this not happen.

From 2005 to 2007, 23 people died in Minnesota traffic accidents during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Thirteen were alcohol-related crashes. Therefore, it was identified by the State Patrol as the deadliest weekend.

Operation NightCAP is a federally funded program that puts overtime police officers on extra patrols in Minnesota’s 15 deadliest counties. The thought behind identifying the holiday increase is to get the word out so that drunk drivers may think twice about taking to the roads. “The goal here isn’t to stop people from having a good time,” State Patrol Lt. Mark Peterson said.” “The whole idea is for [drunk drivers] to believe that they’re going to get caught.”

In any drunk driving collision, there are a number of issues that will need to be reviewed. My partner, Joe Crumley, addressed this topic in a past article for the Minnesota Lawyers Trial magazine. Beyond the accident, there may be Dram shop issues that have to be investigated.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Drunk Driver Found Guilty For Killing Woman After Running Red Light

Mike Bryant — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:15:00 GMT

Late last week, a Crystal man was found guilty of fleeing police and causing the April 18 death of a woman after he sped through a red light at the top of an exit ramp off Interstate 35E and crashed into the car she was riding in with her husband. Hopefully, her family will find a little solace in the drivers going to prison. Sympathy goes out to all those that suffered from this loss.

Recent research indicates that deaths involving motor vehicles are down in Minnesota, but deaths linked to drinking and driving have also increased. The rules are simple and must always be followed:

Don't Drink and Drive
Use designated drivers
Always remember that the more you drink, the more your odds of making bad choices increase.
As drivers on the road: It's also worth keeping in mind, the deadliest roads in Stearns county to try to stay away from at night.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

DWI La-Z-Boy Isn't - Trademark Foul Kills E-Bay Auction at $43,500

Joe Crumley — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:37:39 GMT

E-Bay officials pulled the auction of the infamous DWI La-Z-Boy, aparently after the LaZ-Boy company claimed a trademark violation.

Proctor police chief Walter Wobig got a fax Monday morning from a La-Z-Boy representative, and had what he called a "congenial" phone conversation later. He thought the issue was done, but later in the day noticed the auction had been pulled just 11 hours short of ending.

The Star Tribune reported:

The [LaZ-Boy] representative told the chief to just make sure the eventual buyer doesn't continue referring to it as a La-Z-Boy chair. "And good luck with the sale," he said, according to Wobig.

But all went afoul by nightfall when the chief noticed the chair auction was off the website. Earlier in the day, Wobig said he tried to e-mail and call the folks at eBay but said there was no way to do that.

All he can do now is repost the listing without the trademark name, begin the bidding at $500 once again and hope bidders will drive the price to former heights.

An autographed photo of the former owner, Dennis Anderson, sitting in his chair, fetched $710 on eBay. Anderson's family and friends said the money will be used to help pay legal fines and legal fees after he crashed his recliner into a parked car while driving drunk.

Wobig is a little tired of the whole thing:

Hoping that bidding will begin again today, Wobig said he'll end the auction after three days instead of the original five. He has fielded calls, letters and e-mails from some who love the auction idea and others who "want to string us up for taking the man's chair away."

"In the past four days I've done nothing but dealt with this thing," he said. "I can't go through that again."

The chair is agian up for auction, but the bids have not yet approached the $45,000 that was achieved on the first auction.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Crumley

DWI La-Z-Boy Attracts $$Thousands in E-Bay Bids

Joe Crumley — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:08:32 GMT

Update here: DWI La-Z-Boy Isn't - Trademark Foul Kills E-Bay Auction at $43,500

_________________________________________

A motorized La-Z-Boy recliner seized by police after being involved in a DWI is attracting large bids on E-Bay.

For details, more photos, and some interesting comments, take a look at my earlier article: Driver Guilty - Drunk Driving a La-Z-Boy?!

The La-Z-Boy was seized from its owner and builder, Dennis Anderson of Proctor, near Duluth, Minnesota. Anderson who was arrested August 31 after leaving a bar and crashing the chair into a car in the parking lot. He had a 0.29 blood alcohol, over 3 times the legal limit, and it was his second DWI. Minnesota law allow seizure of vehicles used in more serious driving while intoxicated offenses.

As of 11:30 PM October 31, the bid was $38,100. The item can be viewed at online aution site E-Bay.

The Star Tribune described the chair:

The chair runs on a converted gasoline-powered lawnmower engine and has a steering wheel, headlights, rear roll bars, a power antenna, stereo and cup holders. It can top out at 15 to 20 miles per hour. Stickers on the back include a National Hot Rod Association logo and one that reads, "Hell yeah it's fast."

All the funds from the La-Z-Boy sale will be kept by the the police, state and the court system, according to the Duluth News-Tribune.

AHow high will the bidding go? Check back here, and I'll update the totals till the auction is finished Tuesday Night.

Anderson is selling an autographed photo of himself sitting in his La-Z-Boy to offset his legal fees, but that offering is getting substantially lower bids. As of 9:30 AM October 31, that bid was "only" $405, but there were apparently problems with those bids. By 11:30 PM, the top bids was $166.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Crumley

Driver Guilty - Drunk Driving a La-Z-Boy?!

Joe Crumley — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:37:09 GMT

10/31 - After you read this, look at the Updated Post here.

11/3/09 - Another update! DWI La-Z-Boy Isn't - Trademark Foul Kills E-Bay Auction at $43,500

_______________________________________________________

Drinking and driving is always a bad combination, but a Minnesota man has taken DWI in a more casual direction. Dennis LeRoy Anderson of Proctor, Minnesota (near Duluth), pled guilty Monday of DUI … while on a La-Z-Boy recliner!

The 61 year old Anderson had converted a La-Z-Boy recliner with wheels, a lawnmower engine, stereo, cupholders and headlights (see photo). Anderson does auto body work when he’s not making furniture into hot rods.

Unfortunately, he had a lot too much to drink before climbing into his chair, registering a 0.29% blood alcohol content, 3-1/2 times the legal limit! Anderson left the Keyboard Lounge on August 31, 2008, hopped on his La-Z-Boy but promptly crashed it into a real car in the parking lot.

The Star Tribune reported:

Deputy Police Chief Troy Foucault said the chair is "quite decked out." Along with the stereo and cup holders, it is powered by a converted lawnmower
with a Briggs & Stratton engine, a steering wheel, headlights and a power antenna.

Foucault estimated that the La-Z-Boy can top out at 15 to 20 miles per hour. A National Hot Rod Association sticker adorns the headrest.

The chair was impounded and will be sold at the next police auction.

"We have quite a few people calling about buying it," said Foucault, who half-seriously acknowledged that he's tempted to bid on it, except that "I have kids who would take it out and drive it on the street."

Anderson, with a prior conviction for drunken driving, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and a fine of $2,000.

Driving while drunk is serious business. As my partner Mike Bryant has written, drunk drivers can cause serious injuries to themselves and others.

Notice the ill-advised between-the-legs placement of that steering column/gearshift lever/whatever it is? I gotta think that "second collision" at 15-20mph could have caused more than "minor injuries." Ouch!

____________________________________________________________________

10/31 - Updated Post here.

11/3/09 - Another update! DWI La-Z-Boy Isn't - Trademark Foul Kills E-Bay Auction at $43,500

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Crumley

Why No Seatbelt On Rural Roads?

Mike Bryant — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:00:00 GMT

There have been a number of blog posts about the national increased use of seat belts. Minnesota just reported the best numbers we have seen ever. This is great news and means more people making it home alive after saver crashes. Statewide from 2006 to 2008, 1,097 vehicle occupants died in crashes, and 539 were not buckled up.

At the same time, there was recently a report abut the high percentage of deaths on rural roads. Speculation has involved the usual suspects of speeding, drinking, and inexperience drivers. A deeper look into the seat belt report, may have the best answer.

Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Todd, Faribault, Cass, Wright, and Beltrami counties had the highest percentage of non seatbelt users in the State. Hopefully, with increased education these numbers can be improved.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Drunk Driver Sentenced To 41 Months For Killing Mother In Crosswalk

Mike Bryant — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:33:00 GMT

Early this week, a Edina man was sentenced to 41 months for running over a mother of two that was in a crosswalk. The woman had been crossing in a group after attending the fireworks of the Father Hennepin Festival. The senseless tragedy happened at Hwy. 169 at Hayden Lake Road. Hopefully, her family will find a little solace in the drivers going to prison. Sympathy goes out to all those that suffered from this loss.

Recent research indicates that deaths involving motor vehicles are down in Minnesota, but as my partner, Joe Crumley, recently wrote about, the numbers of pedestrian deaths are up. Deaths linked to drinking and driving have also increased. The rules are simple and must always be followed:

Don't Drink and Drive
Use designated drivers
Always remember that the more you drink, the more your odds of making bad choices increase.
As drivers on the road: It's also worth keeping in mind, the deadliest roads in Stearns county to try to stay away from at night.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Rural Roads: More Dangerous?

Mike Bryant — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:35:00 GMT

The Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota has released a report that more people die each year in rural roadway accidents than in urban settings. Looking at the number of collisions that our office has, it seems clear that many of these deaths are due to the classic reasons:

Speed
Drinking
No Seat belts

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 56 percent of the 37,261 traffic deaths in the United States last year occurred on rural roads, though only about 23 percent of the population lives in rural areas. The University also looked into what could be done to reduce these deaths. The suggestions they came up with were:

Examine more rural roadway crash factors and combinations of factors for additional clarification.

Improve the metrics used to describe or define rural roadways in the United States.

Use the primary characteristics of rural roadway crashes as the basis for safety improvement measures and programs implemented in rural areas.

Include measures and strategies that improve driver decision-making as one of the focus or emphasis areas of a comprehensive safety program.

Fund projects that continue to help upgrade and apply GIS tools to plot and evaluate safety data with respect to driver behavior and roadway conditions.

Scientifically evaluate the impacts of the safety improvement programs described in this report.

With any death in a Minnesota motor vehicle collision, there are many issues that will need to be reviewed. My partner, Joe Crumley, addressed this topic in a recent article for the Minnesota Lawyers Trial magazine. I was interviewed last year on the same topic. Hopefully, the study and the resulting suggested changes the future numbers for these deaths will go down.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

The National Uninsured: Why You Need Uninsured Motorist Coverage In Minnesota

Mike Bryant — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:24:21 GMT

For the last two weeks the prolific writers here at the Injuryboard, have been participating in a daily dialog about their local perspective on various national issues. This is Minnesota's dive into that discussion. If you haven't been reading it, you really should. At the bottom of this post is the list of the other articles.

Here in Minnesota, Interstate 94 runs across the middle of the state, I-90 runs across the southern part of the state, and I-35 runs north and south. A number of other interstate roads crisscross the state. All of these roads, connect us to the many roads that are coming out of other states. Over time, I have written about all types of tragic collisions on many of those well traveled roads. Some times each of us get involved in those collisions that take place, but many times we never find out what happened.

If the cars are insured, then we know that for Minnesota , no fault benefits will come into play. These are the basic benefits that pay for medical expenses, wage loss, and replacement services that allow coverage when a car is involved. My partner Joe Crumley has written extensively about these coverages. Often, the Application for Benefits, which is generally required by insurance companies in order to initiate payment for the aforementioned benefits, is the first application that the injured parties have to fill out.

If one or more of the vehicles involved in the crash is uninsured, as is being talked about by Devon Glass from Church Wyble, P.C., Steve Lombardi from The Lombardi Law Firm, Wayne Parsons of Wayne Parsons Law Offices, Rick Shapiro from Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton, P.C., and Pierce Egerton from Egerton & Associates; there is an even greater reason why you should protect yourself and your passenger(s) by purchasing increased uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. UM is sold in a link with underinsured (UIM) coverage, which is the coverage that protects you and your passengers when the other car has insurance, but not enough. These coverages are extremely important to protect yourself and your family against injuries and the many hardships that come after many accidents.

Over the last week, I have been driving the Minnesota portion of I-94 from end to end, and I have observed an increased number of state troopers out on the roads. I would guess that with people heading off to college, Labor day coming up, the increased DUI enforcement, and people heading down to the State Fair, it makes sense to be watching the roads more. Hopefully, they are being made safer; but, you still need to protect yourself and your family by checking your personal auto coverage.

Another helpful thing to do is spend a little time looking over these posts:

Are Double-Bottomed Semis More or Less Dangerous to You? - Devon Glass from Church Wyble, P.C. (Michigan), August 26, 2009

Who wins and loses when a Ford Focus and a fully-loaded semi-truck crash? - Steve Lombardi from The Lombardi Law Firm (Iowa), August 25, 2009

Hawaii Freeway Chronicles #1: What Are The Danger Points On H-1, H-2 and H-3?, by Wayne Parsons of Wayne Parsons Law Offices. (Hawaii), August 27, 2009

The Interstate Highway Graveyard, “Speed Kills”, Lombardi, August 28, 2009

Why Speeders on the Highway Cause More Serious Accidents, Glass, August 28, 2009

Death and Injury On Interstate Highways Increase With Higher Speed Limits, Wayne Parsons, August 29, 2009 2:31 AM

Drunk Drivers Caused 40% of Traffic Fatalities In Hawaii In 2006, Wayne Parsons, August 31, 2009 12:16 AM

Interstate Highways Are No Place For Drunk Drivers Over The Labor Day Weekend, Wayne Parsons | September 01, 2009 4:36 PM

Uninsured Motorist Car Insurance: It’s Your Most Important Car Insurance and Here Is Why, Rick Shapiro, September 01, 2009 10:30 AM

Uninsured Drivers: Who Are These People?, Pierce Egerton , September 02, 2009 12:00 PM

Risky Drivers Don't Just Drive Drunk and Speed - They Often Don't have Insurance , Wayne Parsons, September 02, 2009 4:09PM

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Minnesota Highway Fatality Numbers Show Areas That Need To Be Improved

Mike Bryant — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:16:00 GMT

The final numbers from 2008 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report show that highway deaths were down across the country and in the Minnesota . This is great news. But there are still areas to improve:

To date, there have been 212 traffic deaths in 2009, compared to 208 at this time last year.
Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts details crashes by vehicle type, contributing factors, driver age and gender, and occurrence of crashes by county, as well as cities with populations of 2,500 or more.
The 455 fatalities reflect the deaths of motorists (325); motorcyclists (72); pedestrians (25); bicyclists (13); ATV riders (10); school bus occupants (4); snowmobiles (1); and other (5 — golf cart, commercial bus, personal conveyance vehicle (3)).
The most common factors in all 2008 crashes are, in order of frequency, driver inattention or distraction, failure to yield right-of-way and illegal or unsafe speed.
While the state’s seat belt compliance rate (87 percent) is strong, only 45 percent of motorist fatalities were belted.
in 2008 there were 31 teen deaths.
there were 72 motorcyclist fatalities, representing 16 percent of all traffic deaths, which was o the biggest rider death count since 1985.

For the families involved each of these numbers is a person they loved. It is important that the numbers be used to drop the total again next year. Safety programs and laws such as the booster seat requirement for kids should help.

With any death in a Minnesota motor vehicle collision, there are a number of issues that will need to be reviewed. My partner, Joe Crumley, addressed this topic in a recent article for the Minnesota Lawyers Trial magazine and I was interviewed last year on the same topic

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant