WD

Owatonna: Head-on collision on icy roads takes the life of a mother of three.

Icy roads caused two cars to collide, killing the mother of three young boys from Wisconsin.  All of the drivers shared fault for the accident.  With the state patrol and the accident reconstruction experts showing both drivers were partially responsible.  But the insurance company for one driver wouldn’t pay despite the testimony of their own insured accepting responsibility.  The family was willing to settle if the company would pay its $60,000 policy limits, but the insurance company refused.  After eight days of trial the jury found both drivers at fault and awarded the family 4.6 million.

Hastings: Passenger killed in road rage accident

A night out with friends ended in tragedy for the family of sixteen year old Sue.  A truck entering the freeway thought he had been cut off and decided to return the favor.  As the drivers jockeyed for position, Sue begged the driver to stop.  The truck slammed into the car Sue was riding in, causing it to flip on the highway.  Sue survived the car rolling over, but seconds later they were hit by another car and Sue was killed instantly.  Accident reconstruction and witness testimony was critical in proving how this tragedy unfolded.  Sue’s family was devastated.  Sue’s father had left years earlier, and the family relied on the strength and leadership of Sue, who was the oldest of five children.  Sue’s case was submitted to Arbitration.  After hearing from all the people involved, the Arbitrator awarded Sue’s family the insurance proceeds and the resolution was approved by a District Court Judge.

LeSueur: Improper maintenance causes dump truck tire blowout killing husband and father

Jon and two co-workers were driving to work when a dump truck suddenly veered over the centerline, killing Jon instantly.  The trucking company tried to avoid fault by claiming the tire blowout cause the driver to lose control and it was an “unavoidable accident”.  Discovery of the trucking company records showed shoddy maintenance and trucking experts demonstrated the driver should have controlled the truck despite the flat tire.  By showing that the accident could have been avoided and by demonstrating the crushing personal and financial loss suffered by Jon’s family, a settlement of $1,300,000 was obtained at pre-trial mediation.

Rochester: Mother of 4 killed by drunk driver

Kathryn was a wife and mother of four.  A drunk driver crossed the center line just outside of Stewartville, Minnesota, hitting Kathryn’s sedan head-on.  Kathryn’s only daughter was sitting the back seat of the car when they were hit, and survived the crash.  The emotional trauma of what she witnessed left her scarred.  The family’s claims against the drunk driver needed to assist and cooperate with the prosecutor’s criminal trial against the driver, who was ultimately sentenced to jail time.  By making sure the family’s claims focused not only on the wrongful death damages arising from the death of Kathryn, but also including the mental and emotional damage done to the daughter, we were able to recover the full policy limits of all of the insurance policies.

Blue Earth: Construction site accident results in accidental death

Mike was a contractor working on a remodeling project.  He was provided with scaffolding which had been set up by the general contractor.  By failing to properly secure the scaffold to the building, the general contractor put Mike in a dangerous position.  Mike fell fifteen feet to the frozen ground, striking his head.  He suffered a brain bleed, and died a few days later.  By engaging the best experts on construction site safety, we were able to demonstrate that the general had not followed standard procedure in securing the scaffold.  Mike’s family was able to reach a settlement at a court ordered mediation.

Red Wing: Improper transportation of farm equipment causes fatal collision

Transporting farm equipment on highways and country roads can be very dangerous.  Deborah was driving into town to work the overnight shift at the hospital when a local farmer was towing a wide implement and heading in the opposite direction.  The implement was not properly marked and illuminated.  As the sun went down, the wide edge of the implement was not visible to Deborah, who struck it while crossing a bridge.  Accident reconstruction was able to prove the implement was over the center line and Deborah’s family was able to win their case, recovering the insurance proceeds for her family members.