Intersection Crash in Worthington, Minnesota between a Peterbilt Semi and Chevy Trailblazer Injures One
An accident involving a Peterbilt Semi on Highway 60 in Worthington has injured the driver of a Chevy Trailblazer. According to the police report, Nyanhial Yoa of Worthington was driving the Chevy Trailblazer and Bryant Reynolds of Sioux City, Iowa was driving a Peterbilt semi when the two vehicles crashed in an intersection. Nyanhial Yoa was treated at the hospital and released.
Our experience is that people injured in semi crash accidents often experience significant pain long after the accident. Headaches, tinnitus (ear ringing), muscle pain, neck pain and back pain are common. Ask our lawyers about out many successful cases representing clients who were treated and released from the hospital after an accident.
When you hire Pritzker Olsen law firm to represent you in an accident case against a trucking company, our lawyers investigate the accident and build a case for your full and fair compensation. We are not paid unless you win. Contact us for a free consultation: 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or submit our online consultation form.
Head-On Car-Semi Truck Accident Injures Shoreview Woman
A car-semi truck accident on the morning of Tuesday, June 22 on Highway 8 resulted in a woman being airlifted to a nearby hospital, local news sources report.
The 75-year-old woman was driving a 1998 Toyota headed eastbound on Highway 8 around 8 a.m. that morning when her vehicle collided head-on with a westbound Volvo semi truck tractor trailer operated by a 55 year-old-driver from Lindstrom, Minnesota.
The truck was struck on the front left side and that caused the driver to lose control and travel across the center line of the highway and collide with a third car, a Buick traveling east. The semi tractor trailer driver and driver of the Buick were treated for minor injuries and released at the scene, while the Toyota driver was airlifted to a local hospital.
Truck Accident Laws and Liability
According to truck accident lawyers at Pritzker Olsen attorneys, semi truck drivers in the trucking industry are regulated by both federal and state guidelines, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which regulates such elements as:
- Hours of service (the amount of time a driver can drive). The amount of driving and off-duty time is required to be recorded in the driver’s log. A good truck accident lawyer will analyze the driver’s log to determine if the truck driver violated FMCSA hours-of-service regulations. The argument would be that the accident was caused by driver fatigue.
- Truck driver drug and alcohol use. FMCSA regulations require motor carriers to implement a successful controlled-substances-use-and-alcohol-misuse program. This requirement is meant to prevent truck accidents caused by drunk truck drivers and drivers who are taking drugs.
- Driving requirements. The federal regulations outline driving rules that must be followed before a commercial vehicle under federal jurisdiction can be operated, for example, a person may not drive a commercial truck if the person is too tired, drunk, knows that the truck is not in good working order, etc.
- Truck driver qualifications. These regulations prohibit a motor carrier (trucking company, etc.) from permitting an unqualified person to drive a commercial truck. To be qualified, a driver must pass the required road test, have a certificate saying they are medically fit to drive a commercial vehicle, not have a record of certain criminal offenses, etc.
- Truck parts and accessories, including tires, brakes, etc. FMCSA also has detailed requirements regarding parts and accessories necessary for safe operation. If our law firm is retained by you, we will look at whether the accident was caused, even in part, by improperly maintained equipment, the lack of safety equipment or any other equipment-related question, which would include problems with tires, lights, axles, coupling devices and towing equipment, brakes, engines and other equipment.
Source:
http://the-leader.net/clients/the-leader/minnesota-woman-airlifted-after-headon-crash-p9674.htm?twindow=Default&smenu=61&mad=No
Fatal Multi-Vehicle Semi Accident Driver Likely Not Wearing Glasses
A semi truck accident in Minnesota involving a semi truck carrying a load of thousands of honey bees killed two people and resulted in a four-car accident in late May. The swarm of thousands of bees hindered rescue efforts while firefighters in Lakeville, Minn., where the crash took place, tried to clear the wreckage.
New evidence shows the driver of the semi that caused the crash may not have been wearing corrective lenses and was also distracted and temporarily took his eyes off the road while reaching for a beverage, according to local news reports and Minnesota State Patrol officials. This caused the semi to rear-end the car in front of him, which hit the car in front of it, and then that car collided with the second semi carrying the bees. The accident happened on Interstate 35.
Other questions have been raised about the driver’s physical condition. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
“The patrol also is looking at [the driver's] physical condition…adding that the 36-year-old driver was ordered “out of service” by a trooper. [Officials] did not specify what it was about the driver’s condition that prompted the order; however, the trooper invoked a federal regulation that allows such an action when a driver is ill or fatigued. [The driver] was sidelined for 10 hours…”
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, has strict regulations for commercial drivers. If an accident occurs and injures or kills someone as a result of a failure to follow these regulations, accident victims could have a legal claim against several parties. This could include:
- the truck driver
- the truck owner
- the owner of the truck’s cargo
- others
Semi truck accident victims could obtain money for damages suffered because of the accident. This could include money to cover medical expenses, future medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of wages, loss of earning capacity and others.
Sources:
http://wcco.com/local/bee.truck.accident.2.1743676.html
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/95957679.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:UthPacyPE7iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
17-Year-Old Escaped Serious Injuries When a Semi Jack-Knifed on a MN Highway
A 17-year-old from Renville, MN could have been seriously injured in an accident involving two semi trailers and the car he was driving. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a Volvo tractor pulling a trailer jack-knifed on Highway 212 in Renville County. The trailer was blocking Highway 212. When another semi truck with a Peterbilt tractor stopped because of the trailer, the car rear-ended that semi.
We are currently representing the family of a young man who was killed when he ran into a semi. The 17-year-old from Renville involved in this accident was treated and released with no life-threatening injuries.
When a semi jack-knifes due to driver negligence, the semi driver, the owner of the tractor (often a trucking company), the owner of the trailer (often different from the owner of the tractor), the owner of the freight and others are liable for any resulting injuries and deaths. This is true even if, as in this case, no one crashed into the semi that jack-knifed.
Wrongful Death Fuel Truck Accident Trial
A wrongful death fuel truck accident lawsuit in Olmsted County, Minnesota will not go to trial a second time, according to a decision made by an Olmsted District judge. The August 2008 fatal truck accident happened on Interstate 90 and resulted in the death of a 19-year-old Winona, MN man.
The truck accident lawsuit resulted in a trial in April 2010. Attorneys for the family of the deceased Winona man contended that his car rear-ended the Midwest Industrial Fuels truck because the fuel truck driver was negligent in several ways:
- The driver made an illegal U-turn from the I-90 eastbound to westbound lanes
- The driver did not turn on the truck’s flashers when entering the highway from the cross over
- The driver did not merge into the right lane as soon as possible
- The driver failed to signal the lane change
Jurors found that both drivers were at fault, and although the plaintiff’s lawyers requested a new trial, citing juror misconduct, an Olmsted district judge denied the motion.
Truck Driver Negligence Laws
Whether a driver is at fault in a car or truck accident case is based on the question of whether the driver was negligent or not. There are four elements to a negligence claim that a car or truck accident attorney must prove in a truck or car accident lawsuit:
- The driver had a duty
- The driver breached that duty
- This breach caused the accident
- The accident resulted in damages to you (medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, etc.)
More information regarding the duties of drivers, especially commercial truck drivers, and truck lawsuit liability, is provided by experienced car and truck accident lawyers at Pritzker Olsen law firm.
Source:
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=456752
Semi Trucks and Cars Collide in Fatal Four-Vehicle Crash
Two people have died in a semi truck collision involving two semi trucks and two automobiles on Interstate 35 near Lakeville, Minnesota.
A semi truck traveling in the northbound lanes of the highway did not stop quickly enough and rear-ended two passenger cars in front of it. These two cars then slammed into a semi truck in front of them. The second semi truck was carrying bees owned by Bauer Honey of Fertile, Minnesota. Thousands of loose bees swarmed the crash scene and complicated rescue efforts.
One person was killed on the site of the car-semi truck crash and one was airlifted to a nearby hospital and died the following day.
The rear end semi truck accident occurred just south of county road 70 and closed a portion of I35. According to news reports the owner of the bees commented that the truck was carrying 800 bee colonies, each with about 30,000 honey-producing bees. He estimates about 150 colonies were destroyed or lost in the accident which could cost the company about $45,000.
Accidents involving commercial drivers, such as semi truck drivers, and passenger vehicles require specific knowledge of commercial driving laws as well as experience dealing with insurance companies, accident reports and medical information having to do with injuries sustained as a result of the crash. The semi truck accident lawyers at Pritzker Olsen have this experience, and have represented victims of car-semi truck accidents in the past. In one case they obtained $2,850,000 on behalf of the family of a man who was killed when his vehicle was struck by debris from a truck.
