BLOG

Just this past week, out on Highway 65 in Anoka County, there was a report of a rear end crash. The Star Tribune article quoted the investigating officers is saying that a "possible medical emergency might have caused the crash." What they were saying is that the guy who rear-ended the other vehicle might have had a heart attack or stroke or something like that. The question then becomes, is that person liable under the law for the crash?

The day before yesterday a 16-year-old girl was killed when trying to cross Highway 10, here in Anoka, after working at McDonald's. The facts of the case were not totally clear from newspaper reports, so it was not certain if the young woman was within a crosswalk or not. Minnesota traffic statutes layout the "Rules of the Road" for pedestrians and drivers as follows

As most people are aware Minnesota has mandatory no-fault automobile insurance. But what exactly does that mean? What it doesn't mean is that it doesn't matter whose fault the crash was. Fault is still an important issue in any personal injury claim, but where the "no-fault" part kicks in has to do with where you turn in your accident-related medical expenses or wage loss related expenses.

In the last two weeks there have been quite a few reports of meningitis infections caused from contaminated drugs (mostly steroids) injected into patients for pain control. So far the media has reported that these contaminated drugs came from a single source, a drug company out East. If you or someone you know has developed one of these infections here are some facts you should be aware of:1. It's probably not the doctor's fault.

The propaganda machine for the insurance industry and the Chamber of Commerce have convinced many Americans that the real reason for their personal financial difficulties is greedy plaintiffs lawyers and greedy plaintiffs milking a broken civil justice system for jackpots. This is, of course, a lie.

If you or someone you know has been injured in car accident and has been told that there are permanent soft tissue injuries or some kind of permanent sprain/strain injury, you can almost be guaranteed that the diagnosis is incorrect.Ligaments, muscles and tendons (called soft tissues) are present throughout our bodies. They are in your ankles, your wrists, your elbows, your knees, and up and down your spine.

In last week's Star Tribune there was an article reporting a surge in motorcycle deaths on Minnesota roads this year, including five writers killed between September 12 and September 20.The primary cause of these tragedies is the failure of motorists to see the motorcyclist. We have all seen bumper stickers saying "Start Seeing Motorcycles", and it's a good idea.In every motorcycle case I have ever seen the motorcyclist gets the worst end of the deal.

In this morning's Star Tribune there was a story about how two people in Minnesota died this past weekend in ATV accidents. One woman was killed when the ATV she was riding on (with three other people, including two children) flipped over. The other person, a 16-year-old boy, was killed when his ATV flipped over after getting a flat tire, pinning him underneath.

It seems that every summer we read about decks collapsing and people getting hurt.  Just last week the Star Tribune reported a massive deck collapse in Forest Lake, with about 20 people involved, one of whom had to be hospitalized.If you are the injured person and not the homeowner, what can you do?  What are your options?

It seems that about once every three or four months I get a call from someone who has been in a bar fight and they want to sue the other person.  These are usually bad cases for the following reasons:1.  Rarely is the loser totally innocent.  There is usually some contributory fault on the part of both parties.2.  People who get drunk and get in fights in bars generally do not have anything in the way of assets.