The family of someone who dies in a rear-end collision involving a semi truck may have a wrongful death claim if that truck was illegally or in any way negligently parked at the side of the road. This means the family has the right to file a lawsuit to obtain compensation and justice.
Fred, Eric and other lawyers at our Minnesota law firm have successfully handled a number of cases like this. In one, the trailer of an 18 wheeler was parked over a snowmobile trail. A teenager was riding on the trail and hit the 18-wheeler. His young life was ended because of the negligence of the truck driver.
If you want to have a free consultation with Fred or Eric, please use indicate that on our online form. Fred and Eric read every form submitted and generally respond quickly, sometimes within minutes.
Is There a Lawsuit if the MN State Patrol Says the Truck Driver Was Not At Fault?
Perhaps. Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman recently won a case where the preliminary report stated the truck driver was not at fault for an accident that caused the death of a wife and mother. Although the report stated the deceased woman was at fault, Fred and Eric took the case, did their own investigation and won a $2.4 million verdict for the family, her husband and two children.
Their search for evidence in that case included obtaining and analyzing the truck driver’s log book, depositions of the driver and trucking company executives (a court reporter writes down all of the attorney questions and the responses), and combing through boxes of corporate documents. Fred also hired an accident reconstruction.
Fred and Eric were recognized as “Attorneys of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer (a legal publication) for their work on this case.
Recent News
A young man from Mankato, Minnesota, was tragically killed yesterday when he ran into a Freightliner semi and trailer that was parked on the shoulder of Victory Drive near the Wal-Mart distribution center in Mankato.
The young man, only 23 years old, died at the scene. The driver of the truck, Tommy Bearry, from Florida, was not injured, according to the Minnesota State Patrol (MSP). The investigation is preliminary.
The MSP preliminary report does not state why the truck was stopped on the side of the road.
Below is the description of the current crash from MSP:
“Freightliner was stationary on the WB shoulder of Victory Drive. Cadillac was WB on Victory Drive. Cadillac rear ended Freightliner. Mankato Fire and Ambulance assisted on scene.”
We cannot know at this time what the final findings of the MSP will be, but it is important to keep in mind that more may be able to be done to determine if the truck driver, trucking company and others were at fault, even in part.