St. Cloud Personal Injury Lawyer - Wrongful Death

Weather, Speed, And Holiday Cheer: Time To Be Extra Safe On The Roads

Mike Bryant — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:26:41 GMT

The first week in December has again seen an increase in highway deaths. Hopefully, this isn't a sign of what is coming for the rest of the month. It is important with so many people rushing around and holiday parties starting up, that we all keep a little better look out.

Saturday night, a truck went the wrong way on the 49th Ave. Ramp on I-94 and hit a mini van head on. A passenger in the van lost her eight month old unborn child. She and her 10 year-old son are in critical condition, and four other children, ages three to nine, were also hurt. The truck driver is suspected of being drunk according to the Minnesota Sate Patrol.
Friday afternoon, a 23-year-old Watkins man died when his 1996 Saturn was hit by a 1995 Jeep Cherokee in Meeker county. The jeep failed to yield at 642nd Avenue and 365th Street in Forrest Prairie Township, according to the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office.
Thursday afternoon, A pickup truck and sedan collided at the intersection of County Road 45 and County Road 9 in Farden Township , according to the Hubbard County Sheriff's Office. The driver of the pickup truck and a passenger in the car were each ejected. Both were pronounced dead on the scene. The Hubbard County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the accident.
Tuesday afternoon, a 78 year old Roseville woman died in a seven car chain-reaction crash on County Road C at Snelling Avenue. Six eastbound vehicles were at a red light on County Road C when a westbound minivan hit the woman's vehicle at high speed, pushing it into the next vehicle and so on, the Roseville police said.

The 2009 numbers have continued to drop. Weeks like this still cause concern. With the holidays and 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.

As 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 on the same topic.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Hybrid Cars Are They Too Quiet?

Mike Bryant — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:28:00 GMT

I've had the chance to ride in a couple of Hybrids as of late. They seem like nice rides and they get great gas mileage and I like so many said "Man, they are quiet". OK, maybe not everyone said it that way, but it was at least the same idea.

But, are the cars too quiet? The silence for a pedestrian could be deadly, As a result, human factors/ergonomics researchers recently went to work on a study to examine participants' preferences for sounds that could be added to quiet vehicles to make them easier to detect. The National Federation for the Blind recently called for all cars to, at a minimum, emit a constant sound.

It's important to think about the old, young, and those who depend upon sound to navigate the world. Quiet cars don't do that. The U.S. Congress has considered the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008, which would require the Secretary of Transportation to study and implement regulations for hybrid, electric, and other silent-engine vehicles to emit non visual alerts for pedestrians. Hopefully, more protections will come from looking at this issue.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

For The Holidays: Think About The Gift Of Blood

Mike Bryant — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:12:00 GMT

Today, only about 38-percent of the United States' population is eligible to give blood. Of those eligible, only about 8-percent donate.

"A blood donation provides a true gift from the heart that can give someone another holiday season with loved ones," said Scott Caswell, CEO of the Central Plains Region Red Cross. "Blood is available only when generous donors are willing to roll up their sleeves. It truly may be the greatest gift someone receives this holiday season."

Giving blood is an easy process. It usually takes an hour at most. You show up, read some forms, answer some questions, then they lay you down and take a pint. It ends with a snack and something to drink. You replace the fluid in hours and the red blood cells within four weeks. It takes eight weeks to restore the iron lost after donating.

It's a great way to donate to an important cause and get the "Be Nice to Me- I Gave Blood Today" sticker that is as important for the person that got your blood as the "I Voted Today" sticker. I'm always proud of wearing both.

Other reasons for giving:

1. More than 4.5 million patients need blood transfusions each year in the U.S. and Canada.

2. 43,000 pints: amount of donated blood used each day in the U.S. and Canada.

3. Someone needs blood every two seconds.

4. Only 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood – less than 10 percent do annually.

5. About 1 in 7 people entering a hospital need blood.

6. One pint of blood can save up to three lives.

Where you go to help: http://www.redcross.org/donate/give/

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Drunk Driver Charged With Killing Buffalo Teen

Mike Bryant — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:17:00 GMT

Last week, I looked at the head on collision that killed a Buffalo High student on Wright County Road 35. At that time there were questions about how this could happen. The road is straight there. Why would a pickup cross the center line? Investigation has now disclosed that the truck was speeding, had no headlights, was in the wrong lane, and the driver had been drinking.

The Minneapolis Tribune captured the feelings of the family in the way you see so often in these case:

"It seems like each day we find out a little bit more about this," said Adam Hoglund, Kramnic's uncle. "It's hard not to be incredibly angry."

.................................

(The) family is anticipating the next day in court. "We'll be there every step of the way to see he gets what's coming to him," Hoglund said.

The driver has been charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in the death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Sometimes Out Of Tragedy Comes Future Help

Mike Bryant — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:59:00 GMT

Doing as many wrongful cases as we have we deal with all types of families who have lost loved ones. There are many ways that people react. Usually it starts with shock and then moves into anger and sorrow. Each person deals with the loss in different ways.

It is nice to see when people learn from these deaths. That people think about the ramifications of speeding, drunk driving or texting while driving. It's a hard lesson, but it's important that we continue to drive the road deaths down.

I ran across two examples of people that have taken their griefs and worked to ensure that others benefit from their loss:

In Delaware, a dangerous intersection was improved with signs after family members of a decedent testified about the area. Local residents could cite problems going back 7 years. An accident reconstructionist, who our office has used a number of times, testified that the intersection was a "death trap". But, it was people who had suffered who could bring the message home. It is unimaginable to go through this, but thankfully for others , they used the event to help others.

In another example , the father after the death of his daughter, went to work on an invention to not let it happen again. She died when, due to the glare of the sun, the car she was in rear ended a semi truck. He went to work on inventing a windshield that automatically adjusts based on changing light conditions. A couple of major car manufactures are looking at his patent.

There are many examples of those who testify at the legislature, speak at schools, and look for ways to prevent future deaths. Sympathy goes out for their losses and thanks for their positive impact on society.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

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

Wright County Head On Collision Kills Teenage Driver

Mike Bryant — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:01:00 GMT

Saturday evening, a head on collision in Wright county killed a teenage driver. He had been driving a westbound 1998 Toyota Camry that hit a eastbound 2001 Chevrolet Silverado pickup.The collision was reported at 6:25 p.m. Saturday on Wright County Road 35, near Jamison Avenue.

The county sheriff is still investigating the cause of the impact.

This death, was the second reported highway death this past weekend. The tragedy comes two months after the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (MDPS) reported that overall the number of highway deaths has been down for 2009 with more than 300 people having died this year in Minnesota traffic collisions. There were 458 deaths in 2008, which was a drop from 510 in 2007.

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

Eden Prairie Crash Leaves One Dead

Mike Bryant — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:56:00 GMT

Friday night, A man died after his car going south on Flying Cloud Drive crossed into the northbound lanes and hit a another car head-on. The driver of the northbound car was hospitalized. There were also two minors that were passengers and said to be unharmed. Investigation continues as to what happened.

This death, like any other on Minnesota roads is particularly unfortunate considering it comes two months after the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (MDPS) reported that overall the number of highway deaths has been down for 2009 with more than 300 people having died this year in Minnesota traffic collisions. There were 458 deaths in 2008, which was a drop from 510 in 2007.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Drunk Driver Who Killed Local Superintendent Gets Four Years.

Mike Bryant — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:03:00 GMT

Some time ago, I wrote about the rear end accident that killed a well known local superintendent. A sad case that affected all of the students and their families who had ever dealt with him. Having worked for the district since the 80's, he was involved in the education of hundreds of young people. He was also known for being involved in all of the schools building projects.

The driver of the car who caused the tragic collision plead guilty to criminal vehicular homicide. Initial testing showed his blood-alcohol level to be 0.194. As a result he was sentenced to more than four years in prison.

The tragedy of the case is clear. As I have written in other cases like this, it really has such a large affect on everyone involved. Multiple families are affected and are forever changed with a senseless death. Hopefully, all students will learn one last time from this educator's loss, although it is so sad that it had to be such a tough teaching moment.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant