Two semi truck accidents that involved semi truck driver negligence have claimed the lives of innocent victims in Minnesota.

• On August 27, 2009 a semi truck rear-ended a minivan near Hugo, MN. Two women died: Carolyn Anderson, the driver of the minivan, and Rosemarie Bongivanni, a passenger in the minivan and Ms. Anderson's aunt. Marlene Wanner, another passenger in the van, was critically injured. The minivan was slowing down on Highway 61 to turn onto 159th street when the accident happened. Read more about the Hugo, MN semi truck accident that critically injured Marlene Wanner and killed Carolyn Anderson and Rosemarie Bongivanni.
  
• On August 30, 2009 a semi truck rear-ended a car on Highway 212 in Carver County. The force of the impact sent the car into the side of a pickup truck. Two people died: Sandra Babatz, the driver of the car, and Juan Olvera, the driver of the pickup. Four passengers in the pickup truck were critically injured: Nancy Castillo, 29, Andira Olvera, 8, Narley Overa, 9, and Galylea Overa, 7. Read about the Carver County, MN semi truck accident and wrongful death compensation for families of Sandra Babatz and Juan Olvera and MN semi truck accident compensation for Nancy Castillo, Andira Olvera, Narely Olvera and Galylea Olvera.

Semi Truck Driver Negligence

"When a semi rear-ends another vehicle, semi truck driver negligence is almost always the cause of the accident," stated Attorney Fred Pritzker, who recently recovered several million dollars for the family of a man who died in a truck accident. "Our experience has been that most of these cases involve driver inattention and/or speed. These drivers are supposed to be professionals, and yet we have seen a rise in commercial truck accidents."

Under federal and state law, semi truck drivers are held to a higher standard in cases involving semi truck driver negligence. This means that a semi truck driver may be found negligent in cases where the driver of a car may not be found negligent.

Most cases of semi truck driver negligence are based on violations of state and/or federal laws. When a semi truck driver violates a law, it is prima facie evidence of negligence. This means that the truck driver is negligent unless there is clear and convincing evidence of a justification for the violation.

The most common federal and state law violations involve the following:

• Speeding
• Driving too fast for conditions
• Failing to keep a careful lookout
• Failing to maintain proper control of their truck
• Failing to stop, swerve, slacken speed, and/or maintain control of a truck when there is a reasonable likelihood of a collision with another vehicle
• Driving a motor carrier in excess of the hours allowed pursuant to §395.3 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
• Driving a commercial truck when impaired through fatigue or likely to become impaired through fatigue in violation of §392.3 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

To contact a Minnesota semi truck accident lawyer at Pritzker Olsen law firm about an accident involving semi driver negligence, please call (612)338-0202, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form for a free consultation. We are not paid unless you win.

List of injured and killed semi accident victims provided by the Minnesota State Patrol:

HUGO SEMI TRUCK ACCIDENT
MARLENE A. WANNER, 72, OF OAKDALE, MN, PASSENGER OF DODGE CARAVAN, CRITICAL CONDITION

ROSEMARIE A. BONGIVANNI, 88, OF ST. PAUL, MN, PASSENGER OF DODGE CARAVAN, DECEASED

CAROLYN A. ANDERSON, 59, OF EAGAN, MN, DRIVER OF DODGE CARAVAN, DECEASED

CARVER COUNTY SEMI TRUCK ACCIDENT
SANDARA J. BABATZ, 45 , OF NORWOOD MN, DRIVER OF PONTIAC VIBE , DECEASED

JUAN S. OLVERA, 35 , OF SULLIVAN TX , DRIVER OF CHEVROLET PICKUP , DECEASED

NANCY E. CASTILLO, 29 , OF BIRD ISLAND MN , PASSENGER OF CHEVROLET PICKUP , CRITICAL CONDITION

ANDIRA OLVERA , 8 , OF BIRD ISLAND MN , PASSENGER OF CHEVROLET PICKUP, CRITICAL CONDITION

NARLEY OLVERA, 9 , OF BIRD ISLAND MN , PASSENGER OF CHEVROLET PICKUP, CRITICAL CONDITION

GALYLEA OLVERA, 7 , OF BIRD ISLAND MN , PASSENGER OF CHEVROLET PICKUP, CRITICAL CONDITION

Labels: accident death, semi accident mn, wrongful death

A Wisconsin tour bus accident has injured at least 20 passengers, most of them Special Olympics athletes. One of the passengers had to be airlifted to a hospital in Neenah because of concern over internal injuries.

According to WKOW-TV out of Madison, Wisconsin:

Officials say the bus went off the right side of the roadway at which time the passenger side mirror struck a road sign. The bus continued northbound striking a guardrail - that's when the bus began to actually rotate.

The driver steered back onto the road and thanks to the guardrail, they were able to stay up off the embankment. But the sharp movements caused the bus to tip onto its side. (WKOW-TV)

To contact Pritzker Olsen law firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.

Keywords: Charter bus accident, Wisconsin bus accident, bus accident lawyer, tour bus accident lawyer.

Labels: bus accident, lawyer