A fatal Minneapolis head-on collision may have been caused by a drunk driver.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Connie Stroud, 42, may have been drunk when she drove the wrong way on the I-94 ramp to 49th Avenue in Minneapolis. Her Toyota pickup truck collided head-on with a car driven by Yia Vang. An unborn baby was killed, and the mother, Tao Thao, is still in critical condition. Yia Vang, Tao Thao’s husband, and five children between the ages of 3 and 10 were also injured in the Minneapolis head-on collision.

Tao Thao has been the sole breadwinner in the family since Yia Vang was laid off from his welding job.

A benefit fund has been set up in Yia Vang’s name. Donations can be taken at all Wells Fargo locations.

Lao Thao, Tao Thao’s brother has asked the community for help because the Vang family is not able to buy food or clothes or to pay for housing.

Liability of Bars, Liquor Stores and Other Sellers of Liquor under the Minnesota Dram Shop Law

If Ms. Stroud was drinking at a bar or similar establishment before the head-on collision, that bar may be liable for the death and injuries resulting from the accident under Minnesota's dram shop law.

Minnesota law holds bars, restaurants and other "dram shops" responsible for the dangerous actions of an intoxicated person when they illegally sell liquor to that person.

Under Minnesota Statutes, Section 340.801, Subdivision 1:

A spouse, child, parent, guardian, employer, or other person injured in person, property, or means of support, or who incurs other pecuniary loss by an intoxicated person or by the intoxication of another person, has a right of action in the person’s own name for all damages sustained against a person who caused the intoxication of that person by illegally selling alcoholic beverages.

If your family has been hit by a drunk driver, contact a Minnesota car accident lawyer for a free consultation: 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), email Fred Pritzker or submit our online consultation form.

Labels: car accident lawsuit, drunk driver, Minneapolis accident lawyers, wrongful death

Four people died in a crash in Olmsted County on Saturday, two were critically injured.

The victims were in a van that was broadsided at the intersection of highway 36 and highway 30 by a driver who had consumed alcohol. The driver, Christopher Frisch of Winona, MN, who was not apparently injured, was arrested. Alcohol was not detected on any of the victims.

The driver of the van, Terry Milholland of Beecher, Illinois, was killed along with passengers Heidi Newell and Jarah Beers of Rochester, MN., and Raymond Milholland from Minnesota. The other two passengers, Rita Seha and Carter Newell of Rochester, are in the hospital in critical condition.

Drunk Driver Liability

When a drunk driver causes an accident in Minnesota, the injured and families of those killed look to the drivers insurance to compensate them for pain and suffering, emotional distress, medical expenses and lost wages (above MN no-fault limits in applicable situations), and, in some cases, punitive damages. Read more about car accident compensation.

Under Minnesota Statute, Section 169A, it is a violation of Minnesota law to drive with an alcohol concentration of .08 or more. If someone violates this law, it is prima facie evidence of negligence in a civil case (Minnesota Statutes, Section 169.96 (2006)).

Liability of Bars, Restaurants and Other "Dram Shops"

Generally, bars, restaurants and other sellers of liquor (referred to in the law as "dram shops") are liable for car accidents in Minnesota when they have violated a law or regulation. This means that the bar, restaurant or other seller of liquor could be responsible for the following:

• If the victim of the drunk driving accident survives: medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and punitive damages
• If the victim is killed in the drunk driving accident: funeral expenses, loss of potential earnings, loss of advice and comfort, and punitive damages.

The illegal sale of intoxicating beverages includes the following:

• Selling liquor to an obviously intoxicated person;
  
• Selling liquor without a license to do so;
  
• Selling liquor after hours; or
  
• Selling liquor to a minor.

Our Minnesota car accident lawyers have successfully obtained significant compensation from dram shops for victims of accidents and their families.

Contact a Minnesota car accident lawyer at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys for a free consultation. We can meet you wherever it is convenient for you. Our toll-free number is 1-888-377-8900. If you reach us after business hours, please leave a message with our on-call attorney, and he will get back to you as soon as possible.

Labels: accident death, drunk driver, Minnesota accident, Rochester accident lawyer, wrongful death