Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman recently settled a wrongful death claim for a Minnesota family. Their daughter was riding her bicycle in a marked bike lane in Minneapolis when she was hit and killed by a dump truck. The driver of the truck said he did not see her before he turned right and struck her.
“We hired accident reconstruction specialists to prove that the dump truck driver should have seen our clients’ daughter and that she had the right of way,” said Eric. “A family lost a beloved daughter with great promise because the driver was negligent.”
The truck driver claimed he did not know that bicycle has the right of way. A bicycle is a ‘vehicle’ under Minnesota law. In this case, the bicycle had the right-of-way under the law, and the truck should have waited before making the turn.
Not knowing the law is not a defense, and drivers (particularly commercial truck drivers) have a duty to know the law and follow it. In addition, construction companies have the duty to hire drivers who know the law.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of the family helped obtain evidence that the dump truck driver was 100% at fault. The suit was filed against the dump truck driver and the company that owned the truck.
Fred and Eric obtained a settlement for the family.
“This tragic accident was preventable,” said Fred. “Truck drivers need to be aware of all of the traffic around them, including bicycles.”
Wrongful death lawyers Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman represent accident victims and their families throughout Minnesota in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. They have won millions for their clients, including several multimillion dollar settlements and verdicts. They were named 2011 “Attorneys of the Year” for winning a verdict in another bicycle-truck wrongful death accident case. You can contact them for a FREE consultation here or call 1-888-377-8900 and talk to Fred or Eric at no charge.
