On the day the Minnesota Department of Public Safety released the statistics below, a toddler tragically died from injuries sustained on Saturday when his family’s minivan collided with a semi truck. This was the 103th traffic death in the state.
DPS news: 33% of this yr.’s 103 traffic deaths were speed-related, 30% were unbelted motorists, 22% alcohol-related, 5% distracted-related.
— MN Public Safety (@MnDPS_DPS) May 15, 2017
A Volvo semi truck was traveling east on Highway 23 while a Dodge Caravan minivan was traveling north on County Road 71, just on the outskirts of Richmond, MN, in Stearns County. The roads were dry, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. The two vehicles collided. Although appropriately belted in, little Colton Walz, only 19 months old, sustained fatal head and neck injuries. His father, Joseph Walz, was also injured. Officials have not provided information regarding the cause of the crash.
Slow Down and Be Safe
Make a conscious effort to prevent speeding.
Speeding means going faster than the posted speed limit, and it also means going too fast for the road conditions, according to attorney Eric Hageman, who helps injured people and their families. “In one of my recent cases, a semitrailer was going too fast for the icy conditions and jackknifed. The driver of another vehicle died when he collided with the semitrailer. The truck driver and trucking company were legally responsible for the wrongful death.”
Below is a recent Tweet from the Minnesota State Patrol
Trooper stops 18-yr-old April 15 on Hwy 169 going 104 in 65 mph w/2 14-year-old girls sitting in passenger. #SlowDown #BuckleUp #ScaryStuff pic.twitter.com/qlx49CEErl
— MN State Patrol (@MnDPS_MSP) May 14, 2017
This young man put himself, his passengers and everyone on the road at risk.
This was an obvious case of speeding, but sometimes it takes some digging to find the truth.
Eric has helped families win wrongful death settlements in cases where his independent investigation found evidence of speeding. “We look at black box data, skid marks and other factors to determine the speed of a vehicle at the time of a crash,” said Eric, who recently won a $4 million settlement for one family. “These are tragic deaths that are preventable. We join the Department of Public Safety and the State Patrol in urging drivers to slow down. Attorney Eric Hageman can be contacted at 612-338-0202.
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