St. Cloud Personal Injury Lawyer - Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Another Deadly Weekend On Minnesota Roads

Mike Bryant — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:28:02 GMT

Columbus day weekend has started out as a tragic one in Minnesota as four people have been killed on Minnesota Highways. Unfortunately, the at least the third weekend that we have seen increased numbers of road deaths. The scary numbers are that on an average weekend, two people are killed.

Friday morning, a former junior high teacher was killed as he road as a passenger on a SUV that collided with a grain truck in Rice County.
Friday afternoon, an 18-year-old woman was killed and two other people were seriously injured in Coleraine, Minn., when their car pulled in front of a school bus carrying the Ely High School football team to a homecoming game in Onamia, Minn.
Late Friday night, a 32-year-old Minneapolis woman was hit head on as she drove the wrong way on Highway 280 near Energy Park Drive in St. Paul.
Saturday morning, a Cedar, Minnesota woman was killed by a passing car on 35W as she stood on the side of the road after an earlier accident.

The overall yearly numbers continue to drop for the year, but if we continue to see weekends like this they will rise. With Fall bringing us winter type conditions, hopefully people will be careful. More will be found out over the coming weeks as to the causes of each of these collisions, so it's to early to tell if the common causes of speed and alcohol were involved in any of the incidents. In all of these cases sorrow for the families of those involved goes out.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Four Killed After Collision with Tractor Trailer On I-90

Mike Bryant — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:15:00 GMT

Wednesday morning, four people in separate cars were killed after separate collisions with a tractor trailer. A 1996 Toyota lost control and crossed the center line striking the semitrailer truck. The truck then cross over the line and hit a oncoming minivan. The driver of the Toyota was killed, as was the driver and two teenage passengers in the minivan. Investigation continues as to the contributing factors.

Sorrow goes out for all of the families involved. These numbers are particularly unfortunate considering that overall the number of highway deaths has been down for 2009. The issues of speed are being looked at.

As 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. I was interviewed last year on the same topic. Hopefully, the families and friends of all involved will find comfort and solace.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Worries On The Rise That This Is Becoming Another Deadly Weekend On Minnesota Roads

Mike Bryant — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:42:00 GMT

Memorial day weekend was a tragic one in Minnesota as eleven people were killed. Unfortunately, the last weekend of June is also seeing a increased number of road deaths. The scary numbers are that on an average weekend, two people are killed. So far we have seen five already.

Friday morning, a East Bethal woman was killed as she tried to cross from northbound highway 65 and tried to turn west on to Sims Road when a southbound sport-utility vehicle (SUV) struck her vehicle. The accident remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Office and the State Patrol.
Friday afternoon, a motorcycle carrying an Alexandria, Minn., couple rolled after hitting a deer in Otter Tail County. The driver was killed and his passenger wife is in critical condition.
Friday evening, a Rochester bicyclist was killed after he was hit by a commercial truck at the base of an exit ramp from Hwy. 52 in Rochester. The ramp had one lane closed at the time for construction.
Late Friday night, a teenage girl was killed in a one-car crash at Duluth Street and Brunswick Avenue N in Golden Valley. A teenage boy in the car was arrested and is facing pending charges. The young woman was thrown out of the car and struck her head.
Saturday morning, two cars collided about 6 a.m outside a Dairy Queen in Victoria. The State Patrol said roads were wet at the time. One of the drivers was killed.

The overall yearly numbers continue to drop for the year, but if we continue to see weekends like this they will rise. With Forth of July weekend on the horizon, hopefully people will be careful. More will be found out over the coming weeks as to the causes of each of these collisions, so it's to early to tell if the common causes of speed and alcohol were involved in any of the incidents. In all of these cases sorrow for the families of those involved goes out.

Also sorrow goes out for those that were in the massive collision down in Oklahoma. You hate to see that anywhere.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Another Weekend Of Increased Minnesota Highway Deaths Continues To Cause Concerns

Mike Bryant — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:14:08 GMT

After the tragic Memorial Day weekend, the first full weekend of June is also seeing above average deaths on Minnesota roads. So far there have been 2 motorcycle deaths, a pedestrian killed and 2 more drivers from car collisions. The State Police continue to look into the reason for these increase losses.

In the two motorcycle collisions, both involved the riders being thrown from their bikes after cars turned in front of them. The Pedestrian was standing next to a stalled car on Highway 94 and is yet another example of the many ways pedestrians are in danger on the roads as Injuryboard member Steve Lombardi has been chronicling. The auto deaths involved high speeds and cars that were rolled. One of the vehicles was hit by a semi.

These numbers are particularly unfortunate considering that overall the number of highway deaths has been down for 2009. But, considering that speed, alcohol, lack of seat belts, and in two of the cases a motorcycle was involved, most of the deaths involve factors where the numbers continue to rise.

As 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. I was interviewed last year on the same topic. In all of these cases sorrow for the families of those involved goes out.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Deadly Weekend On Minnesota Roads

Mike Bryant — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:12:14 GMT

There have been eleven reported deaths on Minnesota roads this holiday weekend. This is more than past Memorial Day weekends and well above the usual weekend average of two to three. Hopefully, increased police presence and discussion about this increase will save some lives over the next couple of days.

The 11 people died in seven separate crashes between 6 a.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday. Alcohol played a role in several of them. The deadliest collision was a minivan that was broadsided in Olmsted County that killed four people. Of the eleven, a second death was reported in Olmsted, others took place in Cass, Dakota, Fillmore, and Aitkin Counties.

These numbers are particularly unfortunate considering that overall the number of highway deaths has been down again for 2009. But, considering that speed, alcohol, lack of seat belts and in one of the cases a motorcycle was involved, most of the deaths involve factors where the numbers continue to rise.

As 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. I was interviewed last year on the same topic. In all of these cases sorrow for the families of those involved goes out.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Spring: Warmer Weather And Higher Speeds

Mike Bryant — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:19:00 GMT

It's real nice to see the 70's back for temperatures in Minnesota. It's great to see the grass greening up and no more mounds of snow taking up parking spaces. The problem is that better roads often means faster driving. It's probably not a coincidence, that the first week of snow and the first week of sunny sky's means an unfortunate increased number of deaths on Minnesota roads.

This past week saw seven deaths which included:

A two car Wednesday in Wilmar at the intersection of Business Highway 71 and County Road 24 which killed one.
The Saturday evening death of a woman that was hit in St Paul by a car that was fleeing the police.
A Highway 30 crash of large trucks that killed both a Minnesota man and Iowa man in central Iowa.
A St. Paul man died when he rolled his car while exiting Interstate 35W just south of downtown Minneapolis trying to enter eastbound Interstate 94 shortly after midnight Tuesday.
Four were critically injured when a pick up truck in Blaine crossed the center line and hit an on coming car last Sunday night.
A Buffalo man lost control of his motorcycle and was killed last Saturday night.

As with bed weather, it's important that everyone SLOW DOWN. At a time when the number of overall road deaths is decreasing these sudden rises in horrible loses should be heeded.

As 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. I was interviewed last year on the same topic. In this case, sorrow for the families of those involved goes out.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Four Die in Separate Crashes This Week In Minnesota

Mike Bryant — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:06:12 GMT

In two motor vehicle highway collisions, four people were killed this week:

Around midnight on Sunday, two Duluth men were killed when an SUV collided broadside with their car at the intersection of Arrowhead Road and U.S. 53 in Hermantown..
Tuesday morning, two people from South Dakota were killed on Hwy. 12 in Big Stone County when their car was hit by a semi.

The death adds to the growing total of highway deaths for 2009. This followed 2008 which was projected to have 450 deaths. A drop from 510 in 2007.

As 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. I was interviewed last year on the same topic. In this case, sorrow for the families of those involved goes out.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Drunk Driving: MVP Of The Super Bowl Is The Designated Driver

Mike Bryant — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:20:00 GMT

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is calling for the true MVP of the Super Bowl to step forward. During Minnesota Super Bowl Weekends in 2006-2008, five of seven fatal accidents on the road were alcohol related. At the same time, nearly 1500 motorists were arrested for DWI. This can be a fun time as people get together , cheer on their team and watch commercials. Make sure you don't make it memorable for any other reason.

Also, take a second to read board contributor Megen Roth's advice on eating today.

Have fun, don't Drink and Drive and hopefully some day you will be around to see the Vikings back in it.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Multiple Injuries From Separate Watonwan County Collisions

Mike Bryant — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:37:00 GMT

This past week, Watonwan county saw five car accidents on January 3rd. In reviewing the evidence for all five collisions, the deputies found the weather conditions and speed to be contributing factors. With freezing rain combining with snow, slippery conditions were a big problem for anyone going too fast.

Thankfully more people weren't hurt. When driving, the DPS and MnDOT provide the following Winter road tips :

Always use seat belts.
Accelerate and decelerate slowly on icy/snow-covered roads to retain traction and avoid skids.
Do not use cruise control.
Do not “power up” hills, which may cause wheels to spin. Build momentum before reaching a hill and don’t stop while traveling uphill. Reduce speed before going downhill.
Know your brakes. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of the foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
Give yourself plenty of travel time. Don’t put your schedule before safety.
Clear snow and ice from vehicle windows, hood, headlights, brake lights and directional signals.
Headlights must be turned on when it is snowing or sleeting.

Most police officers asked say the key is usually to Just Slow Down.

I've been blogging about these types of accidents for a while. Hopefully, all of those involved will get better soon.

If you are in an accident, make sure to get the names of anyone who indicates they saw what happened. If you witness an accident, check to see if everyone is OK and stay around or at least give the drivers your contact information. If you are injured, seek the advice of an attorney who does that kind of work and who can explain your coverages and rights.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Minnesota State Patrol Using Graphics To Teach Teen Drivers

Mike Bryant — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 09:35:00 GMT

Minnesota Department of Public Safety statistics show that 170 teens were killed in fatal crashes from 2005 through 2007. Another 750 teens were seriously injured in crashes during that time. With an eye to reducing these numbers, the Minnesota State Patrol is creating a graphic video that include testimonials, photos and reenactments to teach teenagers about the dangers of driving.

With the state recently enacting laws concerning text messaging and restrictions on when and who teens can drive with, the hope is that we will be reading of less cases of teens being killed and injured in car accidents. Since car accidents are the number one cause of death in teens, the project seems a worthy endeavor.

The video will be used in schools across the state and involve programs that hope to add to the student safety dialog. “There isn’t as much emphasis on teen driving as there should be,” she said. “Anything that makes parents more aware of the seriousness of an issue should be done.” said Gail Weinholzer, spokeswoman for AAA Minnesota/Iowa.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant