A young mother is dead because a driver was on the phone.
On May 1, 2016, on Interstate 35W, a driver using a phone rear ended a vehicle, seriously injuring the driver and his passenger, who tragically died a few days later. Proceeds from a GoFundMe page that was started for the deceased mother, Brea Miller, will now be use for her 2-year-old daughter.
Minnesota State Patrol Preliminary Report
A Hyundai Santa Fe (V1) and a Chrysler Town & Country (V2) were at a stop in a construction zone on northbound Interstate 35W and County Road D in Ramsey County. A Honda Fit (V3) was approaching them, preparing to stop. The driver of an Acura TSX (V4) rear ended V3 at freeway speeds, pushing V3 into V2, and V2 into V3.
The State Patrol was assisted by the New Brighton Police Department, Roseville Police Department, and local fire and EMS.
This tragic crash seriously injured two people: Michael Bain, the driver of V3; and Brea Miller, also from St. Paul, the passenger in V3. Ms. Miller did not survive. Michael Bain was her fiance, and according to news reports, he suffered severe traumatic brain injuries.
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About 20% of of injury crashes each year involve distracted driving. If there is sufficient evidence to prove that an at-fault driver was distracted, that will generally result in a finding of negligence. If the behavior was grossly negligent, there may be a punitive damages claim. Two of our recent cases involved a driver reading a map while driving. In one case our client, a mother of 2, was driving her car through an intersection when another driver ran a stop sign and plowed into her. She suffered a severe fracture of the pelvis, and injuries to her neck and back. In the other case, a pizza delivery driver was looking at a map when he hit our client’s vehicle.
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Under Minnesota Law (Minn. Stat. Sec. 573) a family can sue for money damages when a negligent driver kills their loved one. Any money won in a lawsuit is distributed to family members. If the parent of a young child dies, the bulk of the money is generally put in trust for the child.
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Car Accident Lawyer
Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman are our lead lawyers for these cases. They use the latest technology to win cases and recover millions for our clients. The video below is an example of an accident reconstruction animation.