Roseville, MN 7 Car Crash Leaves 1 Dead

Posted on behalf of Steve Terry
on March 7, 2019 in Auto Accidents
Updated on December 2, 2022

At 4 p.m. today, a minivan crashed into a line of vehicles stopped at a red light, setting off a chain reaction. In total, seven vehicles where involved in the crash. One woman died and the driver of the minivan is in critical condition at Regions Hospital, St. Paul.

According to Roseville Police, six vehicles were heading west on County Road C and stopped for a red light at Snelling Avenue. A white minivan, also heading west and driven by a man who is suspected of having a medical problem, approached at a high rate of speed and was not able to stop.

The first vehicle that was hit by the van was being driven by a woman from Montrose. That woman died at the scene.

The Roseville Police and Minnesota State Patrol were on the scene. The accident will be reconstructed and investigated. Alcohol is not suspected in the crash. Names of victims have not been released.

Help For Victims and Families

Any accident is traumatic. A multi-car crash is terrifying. With a rear-end collision, very frequently victims sustain soft tissue injuries. Soft tissue injuries can be difficult to proof. The insurance companies will do everything in their power to destroy your claim — they will question your integrity and the competency of your doctors. You need legal representation to ensure that you receive fair compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Contact a Minneapolis auto accident lawyer at (612) TSR-TIME. We will fight for your rights.

State of Minnesota Filed Suit Against URS for I-35 Bridge Collapse

Posted on behalf of Steve Terry
on in General News
Updated on March 23, 2022

The State of Minnesota filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County, Wednesday, against URS Corporation, the state’s I-35 bridge consultant. The suit alleges negligence and breach of contract by URS because they failed to inspect, analyze and evaluate the span’s soundness. In the suit, the state is also asking for URS to reimburse the state more than $37 million in payments made from special victim’s compensation funds and any damages the state may have to pay Progressive Contractors Inc., the construction company that was working on the bridge.

The state alleges that the URS contract specifically required the company to develop tension and compression failure criteria for the bridge’s many components — including the steel gusset plates — using data from how they were supposed to be designed.

URS Corp. is a San Francisco based firm, that had assured the state of its expertise in assessing the need for repairs and the best way to go about doing the repairs. Furthermore, in 2005, URS reported to the state that if “gusset plate buckling occurs, it will not be catastrophic.” In a communication from the corporation in 2006, they told MN-DOT that they would not calculate actual capacities of all of the connections even though that would provide the most accurate results. They said it would be too much work. They proposed to do some approximate but conservative adjustments to the member capacities per design specifications.

The National Transportation Safety Board report, from November 2008, stated that the gusset plates installed when the bridge was built in the 1960s were too thin, and the failure of the plates was a probable cause when the bridge collapsed. The board also stated that findings had pointed to both the bridge’s original flawed design and the spacing of construction materials on the bridge as causes for the collapse.

This information is provided by TSR Injury Law, a premier personal injury law firm serving Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. Our attorneys were part of the 35W Bridge Collapse Pro Bono Consortium and are now handling six of the personal injury lawsuits from the disaster. For more information call (612) TSR-TIME or submit our free consultation form.

Victim’s Attorney Believes Tape is Crucial to Child’s Recovery

Posted on behalf of Steve Terry
on March 5, 2019 in Firm News
Updated on December 2, 2022

The mother of a 3-year-old who was allegedly physically and sexually assaulted in January at the Kids Quest child care center located at Grand Casino Mille Lacs said her child is haunted by the experience and is seeking help.

Help, could come sooner, she and the child’s therapists believe, if they had a better understanding of what happened to the toddler nearly one year ago – understanding they could gain by viewing the casino surveillance tape being held as evidence by the Band’s Solicitor General, Rjay Brunkow.

The victim’s attorney, Rich Ruohonen, said he was stunned that the tape has not been turned over when he requested it from Brunkow several times since July.

“In every jurisdiction in the state of Minnesota you have the right as a victim of a crime to get a copy of video tapes and other evidence that the police have obtained,” Ruohonen said. “Apparently with the exception of tribal land.”

The video tape was placed into evidence with the Mille Lacs Band tribal police who had investigated the incident. Brunkow now has the tape in a different secure location, he said.

Ruohonen said security reports written after the tape was reviewed say a 9-year-old boy kicked the toddler in the face, threw him to the floor, held him down, then carried him to the top of the gym into a tunnel.

The mother of the toddler victim said she was mortified when she picked her son up after dinner at the casino. “He was beaten head to toe,” she said. He had bruising on his cheeks and neck, a ruptured blood vessel in his eye and a scratch on the side of his eye.

Follow up care at a hospital revealed the child had been sexually assaulted.

Brunkow said he has viewed the tape. “It shows a little rough housing. The sexual assault allegedly took place in a tunnel. It is not a see through tunnel,” Brunkow said. “Nothing on that tape actually shows sexual assault.”

Ruohonen said there are no plans to name the Band in any lawsuit at this time. He is currently pursuing a civil case against Kids Quest/New Horizons. New Horizons is the parent company of Kids Quest, which operated drop-off day care centers at Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Hinckley. Their vendor license has since been revoked at both casinos.

Ruohonen said he sent a letter to Brunkow in February requesting the surveillance tape and other evidence. Brunkow told him he could have it. By July, the tape had not been turned over to Ruohonen. On July 3, Ruohonen said Brunkow told him it was in the mail.

But Ruohonen did not receive it. Ruohonen said Brunkow later told him he could have the tape if he agreed in writing to release the Band of any liability in the case prior to viewing the tape.

“It would be irresponsible of me as an attorney in representing my clients, to sign anything of that matter before viewing the tape,” Ruohonen said.

Brunkow denied agreeing to turn the tape over to Ruohonen without signing a statement.

Mille Lacs Band statutes state tribal court has the authority to review and determine the benefit of any evidence involving juvenile cases, according to Brunkow.

“He (Ruohonen) should have taken the time to learn tribal law and file a motion in tribal court to try to gain the tape as evidence through the court,” Brunkow said. “But he chose to remain ignorant.”

Brunkow maintains he will turn the tape over to Ruohonen if he agrees in writing not to use the tape as evidence in any law suit naming the Band as a defendant.

Ruohonen said he will explore his options.

“The sad part – the frustrating part – is that tape can possibly help this child in his therapy,” Ruohonen said. “It can help his mother and his doctors better understand what happened to the child so they can move forward. Not having that tape is detrimental to his care and treatment.”

by Vivian Clark
Messenger Staff Writer

MDA Says Raw Pet Food Contains Salmonella Risk

Posted on behalf of Steve Terry
on in Consumers Alerts
Updated on December 1, 2022

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has issued an alert to consumers to not handle or feed two brands of pet food to their animals after the MDA laboratory found the dog food to be contaminated with Salmonella.

The two brands that are affected are the 2lb Bravo! Raw Food Diet Chicken Blend for Dogs and Cats. This is a pet food product that is frozen and has production code 06/14/12. This production code can be found on the package’s white tag. The product was also manufactured by Bravo! And they are located in Manchester, CT. No other products from this manufacturer have been found to be contaminated.

The other product is Steve’s Real Food Inc.’s Turducken Canine Diet in the 8 ounce packages. This Murray, Utah-based product is also a frozen pet food product with the date 10/27/13 printed on the label and the code B209. These numbers can be found on the package’s lower front panel.

So far there are no reports of animal or human illnesses associated with the handling or consumption of the foods. Consumers have been asked to discard the products if they have them on-hand.

Salmonella is very dangerous to both humans and animals. A human that handles the food and then places their fingers in their mouth can contract it and become very ill.

Pets with Salmonella may experience fever, a decreased appetite, abdominal pain, and may even become lethargic and have bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Infected pets can also infect humans and other pets.

Human symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, cramps, and fever. The symptoms typically appear within 12 to 72 hours after being exposed, but can begin even a week after exposure. The infection usually concludes in 5 to 7 days, but there are cases that require hospitalizations. In rare cases, the infection can result in death, especially in those with weakened immune systems and the elderly.

If you or a loved one suffers salmonella poisoning, you may be eligible for compensation. To learn more about your options, contact a personal injury lawyer in Bloomington, MN at TSR Injury Law for your free consultation.

Retinal Detachment Injury Claims

Posted on behalf of Steve Terry
on March 1, 2019 in Personal Injury
Updated on December 2, 2022

The retina is a micro-tissue that lines the inside of the eye. Light strikes the retina causing a biochemical change within layers of the retina that stimulates an electrical response. Nerve endings within the retina transmit visual messages through the optic nerve to the brain.

Retinal Detachment

With retinal detachment, the retina is torn or pulled from its normal position and separated from the blood vessels. This is an emergency situation because separation from blood supply can quickly lead to degeneration of the retina (tissue death). If left undiagnosed or untreated, retinal detachment can lead to blindness and, in the most serious cases, loss of the eye.

Most retinal detachments are due to trauma. The trauma can be caused by a car accident, truck accident, or fall. In a motor vehicle accident the head may hit the windshield, steering wheel, or other blunt object.

Retinal Detachment Symptoms

In about half of the traumatic retinal detachments, the injury is instantaneous. In the other half, there is gradual onset with warning signs that may include:

A shadow, like a curtain, across part of the field of vision that does not go away. It affects the peripheral vision first.
Noticeable amount of vision loss. Any sudden vision loss is a medical emergency.
Sudden flashes of light or floaters.

Retinal Detachment Attorney

If you have suffered a retinal detachment in an accident due to negligence, you need an attorney on your side to establish fault and secure fair compensation. Our Bloomington personal injury lawyers have years of experience with excellent results. TSR Injury Law is fast becoming one of the most prominent personal injury law firms in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Call (612) TSR-TIME or submit our free consultation form.

Month: March 2019