A fatal accident in Goodhue County tragically took the life of a woman from Randolph, Minnesota, and injured three people, including the husband of the woman who was killed.
A Chrysler 200 Touring was southbound on Highway 316 when it crossed into Minnesota Highway 61, hitting a Harley Davidson that was going northbound on Highway 61, and then hitting a Cadillac SRX that was going southbound on Highway 61. The driver of the Harley, Tom Otte, was critically injured, and his wife, Patricia Otte, was killed.
The accident happened August 8, 2018.
Was Alcohol Involved in this Fatal Crash?
There is a stop sign for traffic traveling south on 316 at that intersection, meaning Highway 61 traffic has the right-of-way. The driver of the Chrysler car failed to yield the right-of-way. The investigation is looking at whether drunk driving was the cause or a contributing factor. The Minnesota State Patrol stated it is “unknown” whether the driver of the Chrysler had consumed alcohol prior to the crash; however, her passenger, who was injured, had consumed alcohol.
We will update this post if the state patrol releases additional information.
When alcohol is involved, there may be a dram shop claim, meaning a bar or restaurant may be legally responsible, along with the drunk driver.
Motorcycle Helmets
If anyone injured or killed in a motorcycle accident was not wearing a helmet, an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer needs to be contacted to determine how that might affect a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.
We have had family members contact us months, and even years, after an accident involving a cyclist who was not wearing a helmet. They did not think they had a case and waited a long time to contact a lawyer to find out. It does not cost anything to contact a lawyer and find out if you can sue for compensation and justice.
We do our own, independent investigation of an accident, and our efforts have resulted in our clients getting multimillion-dollar settlements. The money has helped families get back on their feet after horrendous crashes. Our clients have also told us that it was important for them to get some measure of justice.
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