Practice Areas

Personal Injury and Wrongful Death

Dram Shop and Liquor Liability

Attorneys at PritzkerOlsen have handled many dram shop cases against bars, restaurants and others. In one case, they won $6,000,000 for a client whose leg was crushed in an accident and later had to be amputated. Contact our attorneys for a free consultation.

When is there a Dram Shop Claim?

Drinking While Driving Accident A dram shop claim often represents one component of a vehicular accident case involving a DUI or DWI. For example, if you were injured by a drunk driver to whom a bar sold alcohol when he or she was obviously intoxicated, your dram shop claim would be against that bar.

One American dies every 30 minutes in an alcohol-related traffic crash, meaning that drunk driving shows its face in 41 percent of the country’s traffic fatalities. Three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. States enacted “dram shop” laws to help prevent some of these tragedies.

What is a Dram Shop?

In 18th Century England, thousands of so-called “gin-shops” sold homemade gin by the dram (about a spoonful). When the King of England decided to tax the sale of gin, these “dram shops” quickly went underground in an effort to avoid paying taxes. Today’s legal system considers any establishment selling liquor illegally as a modern day equivalent of these “dram shops” of the 1700’s.

Furthermore, the law holds these establishments responsible for the dangerous actions of an intoxicated person when they have illegally sold liquor to that person. In addition to bars and liquor stores, these establishments can include restaurants, social clubs, and even private events where liquor is sold.

When are Dram Shops Liable?

Generally, dram shops are liable when they have violated a law or regulation in the state where the liquor was served. While selling liquor to an obviously intoxicated customer represents the most common dram shop violation, the illegal sale of intoxicating beverages can take other forms, such as:

Selling alcohol without a license to do so;
Selling alcohol after hours; or
Selling alcohol to a minor.

Our lawyers can help you determine if a dram shop violation played a role in your car, van, motorcycle or bicycle accident. Also, read "Who can I sue if I am hit by a drunk truck driver?"

Dram shop laws vary state by state. While a few states impose no dram shop liability or restrict that liability to cases involving sales to minors or known alcoholics, most states do recognize some form of dram shop liability.

Video: Attorneys to Sue Bar or Restaurant for
Accident Caused by Drunk Driver

How Will PritzkerOlsen, P.A. Protect My Rights?

Contact Attorney Eric Hageman In order to protect your rights, we act quickly when pursuing a dram shop case. Verifying the obvious intoxication of a patron often relies on the eyewitness testimony of employees and other patrons who were present. By locating and interviewing these witnesses quickly, we avoid potentially losing track of the witnesses as well as the possible blurring of memory as time passes.

The statute of limitations governing the dram shop portion of an accident case can differ from those that apply to the rest of the case. If a dram shop claim is not made within that time frame, you can potentially lose the right to pursue the claim at all.

To contact PritzkerOlsen, P.A. about a potential dram shop claim, call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900, e-mail Fred Pritzker at info@pritzkerlaw.com or fill in our online-consultation form.

We are a national law firm and represent clients throughout Minnesota and the United States. Our offices are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Read more about Minnesota personal injury lawyer Fred Pritzker .

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Settlements, Verdicts and News

Minnesota Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Wins Millions for Motorcycle Passenger

Attorney Fred Pritzker won $6,000,000 for a woman whose right leg was amputated when the motorcycle on which she was a passenger was struck by a drunk driver. Fred filed claims against the drunk driver and a bar under Minnesota's dram shop liability laws.

Bicycle Accident Wrongful Death Verdict

Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman won a $2,469,339 verdict in a wrongful death case on behalf of a 52-year-old female bicyclist run over by a right turning tractor-semi-trailer.

AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell

Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman have been given the highest rating by Martindale-Hubbell for attorney, AV Preeminent. An AV® certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment - a testament to the fact that a lawyer's peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.

Twin Cities Truck Tire Wrongful Death Verdict

Our Twin Cities law firm recently won $2,850,000 for a family whose loved one was killed by a truck tire that crashed through a car windshield. Read about a truck wheel off accident.

Tow Truck Accident in Beltrami County

Minnesota personal injury attorneys Fred Pritzker and Elliot Olsen obtained a $2,750,000 settlement for a 59 year-old truck driver who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), the loss of his left eye and significant disfigurement when the tow chain being used to pull the man’s semi tractor-trailer out of a ditch broke loose from a front-end loader to which it was attached. The accident happened in Bemidji, Minnesota. This was a work injury involving a third party claim.

Semi-Truck Crash Settlement

Pritzker Olsen attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman recently obtained a hard-fought $2,560,000 recovery for a couple who were seriously injured in a semi-truck crash. The husband suffered serious head injury (TBI). Read about the semi truck crash settlement.

Our lawyers have recovered millions more for our clients. Contact us for a free consultation about your accident.

Adjunct Teaching Position At U of M Law School

Attorney Brendan Flaherty has accepted an adjunct teaching position at the University of Minnesota Law School. For the 2011 spring semester, Flaherty will teach a course entitled "Practice and Professionalism," which will introduce students to foundational lawyering skills and professional responsibility issues.

Fred Pritzker Listed in The Best Lawyers in America

Fred Pritzker has been notified that he will again be listed in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in personal injury litigation.

Minnesota State Patrol Reports

SOUTHBOUND TOYOTA PRIUS CROSSED CENTER LINE AND STRUCK NORTHBOUND FORD ESCAPE ON HIGHWAY 15 IN WATONWAN COUNTY. THE NAME OF THE JUVENILE DRIVER OF THE PRIUS WILL NOT BE RELEASED. CRASH CAUSE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. THE DRIVER OF THE FORD ESCAPE WAS GARY FENRICH OF FAIRMONT, WHO DIED AT THE SCENE.
VEHICLE 1 SB ON 35 I, DRIVER DOSED OFF, VEARED INTO MEDIAN, STRUCK MULTIPLE MEDIAN POST ON I35 IN RICE COUNTY. VEHICLE THEN TRAVELED ACROSS SB LANES AND ROLLED 1 COMPLETE TIME INTO SB DITCH. COMING TO REST ON ITS SIDE. INJURED PASSENGERS INCLUDED RODOLFO VEGA, IVAN WALLS AND CARL EDWARDS.
A FORD LTG REAR ENDED A HONDA ACCORD ON HIGHWAY 14 IN NICOLLET COUNTY. THE DRIVERS AND TWO PASSENGERS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES.
A CAB-LESS JOHN DEERE FARM TRACTOR WAS EAST BOUND ON CO 27 WHEN IT WAS REAR-ENDED BY A FORD PICKUP. THE IMPACT EJECTED THE DRIVER OF THE TRACTOR ONTO ROADWAY WHERE HE WAS STRUCK BY A NISSAN PICKUP. ASSISTING WERE: SLEEPY EYE AMBULANCE AND ALLINA AMBULANCE.

This is attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The result of each case is determined by the specific facts and the applicable law.