Practice Areas

Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorneys

Killed by a Drunk Driver:
Lawyer for Investigation and Wrongul Death Claim

If your loved one has been killed by a drunk driver, you may have a wrongful death claim against the bar or restaurant that served the DWI driver alcohol. Our lawyers have won millions for our clients in dram shop cases, including $6,000,000 in one case. Contact a car accident lawyer in MN for a free consultation.

Dram Shop Claim against Bar, Restaurant or Liquor Store

Killed by a Drunk Driver Bars, restaurants and other establishments that serve alcohol can be sued if they serve alcohol to a drunk person who then drives and gets into an accident. This is called a dram shop claim. If someone is killed by the DWI driver, the family can file a dram shop claim as part of their wrongful death lawsuit.

The Minnesota dram shop law (Minnesota Statutes, Section 340.801, Subdivision 1) reads as follows:

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.

Compensation for Family for
Wrongful Death of Their Loved One Killed by a Drunk Driver

According to Minnesota Statute, Section 169A, it is a violation of Minnesota law to drive with an alcohol concentration of .08 or greater. If a motor vehicle driver is in violation of this law, it is prima facie (at first view) evidence of negligence in a civil case (Minnesota Statutes, Section 169.96). This does not guarantee a win against the drunk driver, but it does mean that the person injured by the drunk driver has a good case.

If someone is killed by a drunk driver in Minnesota, the spouse and next of kin may have a claim for the following under the MN wrongful death statute (Minnesota Statutes, section 573.02):

Funeral expenses
Medical expenses
Loss of potential earnings
Loss of advice, assistance, protection and counsel
Loss of comfort and society
Punitive damages (again, if proven there was disregard for the safety or rights of others)

Our attorneys have appeared on CBS News, Fox News, KARE-TV, KSTP-TV and WCCO-TV. Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman were named "Super Lawyers" for the current year. Attorney Fred Pritzker is listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America and The Best Lawyers in Minnesota. For a free consultation about a drunk driver accident with a MN wrongful death lawyer, call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm's online consultation form for review by an attorney.

For more information, please see the following:

How much would I win in a wrongful death lawsuit against a drunk driver who killed my husband? - In fatal drunk driver cases, the family may have claims against the drunk driver and a bar, restaurant, liquor store or other establishment that sold the drunk driver alcohol before the accident.

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Compensation for the family when a mother, father, son, daughter, wife or husband is killed by a drunk driver. We strive for justice for families whose loved ones died because someone decided to drink and drive.

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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.