An accident in Minneapolis yesterday happened during a high-speed chase. A Minnesota State Patrol trooper was chasing a woman from St. Paul, MN, when she broadsided another vehicle, an Oldsmobile Intrigue, killing the driver and critically injuring the passenger, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
The trooper had pulled her over for speeding and suspected drunk driving. When the trooper approached the car, she took off. The trooper got back in his vehicle and chased her through the streets of Minneapolis. The crash happened at about 12:55 a.m. at 4th Street SE and Central Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.
A 20-year-old died and a 24-year-old man from Stillwater, Minnesota, was seriously injured.
Find out if you can sue for a death caused by a high-speed chase?
Depending on the facts, a person injured during a high-speed chase (or a family whose loved one dies during a high-speed chase) can sue a municipality (town or city), county or state (state patrol). However, safety officers (police, deputies, state patrol troopers) are immune from liability arising from a “hot” pursuit, unless they act willfully and maliciously. This means that there has to be evidence supporting a claim of willful and malicious conduct on the part of the safety officer. This is beyond gross negligence and extremely difficult to prove. That being said, people injured by vehicles being chased in hot pursuit have won cases in Minnesota.
You can contact our lawyers for a free consultation here.
Minnesota law puts a limit on the amount of money the state has to pay for personal injury and wrongful death claims caused by state employees acting within the scope of their employment (Minn. Stat., Section 3.736, Subdivision 4):
(a) $300,000 when the claim is one for death by wrongful act or omission and $300,000 to any claimant in any other case, for claims arising before August 1, 2007;
(b) $400,000 when the claim is one for death by wrongful act or omission and $400,000 to any claimant in any other case, for claims arising on or after August 1, 2007, and before July 1, 2009;
(c) $500,000 when the claim is one for death by wrongful act or omission and $500,000 to any claimant in any other case, for claims arising on or after July 1, 2009;
(d) $750,000 for any number of claims arising out of a single occurrence, for claims arising on or after January 1, 1998, and before January 1, 2000;
(e) $1,000,000 for any number of claims arising out of a single occurrence, for claims arising on or after January 1, 2000, and before January 1, 2008;
(f) $1,200,000 for any number of claims arising out of a single occurrence, for claims arising on or after January 1, 2008, and before July 1, 2009;
(g) $1,500,000 for any number of claims arising out of a single occurrence, for claims arising on or after July 1, 2009; or
(h) $1,000,000 for any number of claims arising out of a single occurrence, if the claim involves a nonprofit organization engaged in or administering outdoor recreational activities funded in whole or in part by the state or operating under the authorization of a permit issued by an agency or department of the state.
Our Minnesota lawyers represent clients in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits on a national level, and have won millions for accident victims and their families. You can contact the Pritzker Hageman Accident Law Team for a free consultation here.
