Commercial truck crashes often result in serious and long-lasting injuries. Unfortunately, that is what happened to a 53-year-old nurse who was rear-ended by a semi-truck on highway 94. She suffered a mild traumatic brain injury, PTSD, anxiety, fatigue, and neck and back injuries.
TSR Injury Law is proud to announce we were able to recover significant compensation on her behalf – $3,041,784.10 in total compensation was awarded by a panel of arbitrators. You can learn more on our case results page. Click the “Truck Accident” tab – it will be the first result you see.
The victim was represented by partner Rich Ruohonen from the start of the case until it concluded four years later.
The victim was injured when a semi-truck crashed into the back of her vehicle. The force of impact pushed her vehicle into a truck in front her. The truck was also pushed into another car. This resulted in all three vehicles being totaled.
The victim has experienced significant challenges since the collision, including not being able to work for 10 months and being unable to work in the same capacity as before.
Unfortunately, the trucking company did not agree the victim’s injuries were as severe as her doctors claimed they were. Eventually, both parties agreed to enter binding arbitration with a three-lawyer panel.
The victim was able to recover all of her lost wages and future damages, which will be a great help to her as she looks to move forward after this life-changing incident.
If you were injured in a truck crash, give us a call to learn more about how we may be able to assist you. There are no upfront fees, and we are not paid unless you receive compensation.
TSR Injury Law. Local. Licensed. Lawyers. Call (612) TSR-TIME.
Earlier this month, Partner Rich Ruohonen had a three-day trial in Hennepin County. This was the first civil trial in the State of Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was different – plexiglass was everywhere, masks were mandatory, and jurors were sitting spread out around the courtroom and forced to stand behind the podium. We all felt safe with the precautions taken but it was weird! TSR continues to be a great leader in our civil justice system!
Rich and his client Sarah crushed the Good Neighbor (State Farm) for $260,000, 26 times the offer made. This was an uninsured motorist claim, so it was a direct claim against her own insurance company State Farm. You do not get Jake from State Farm when you file a claim with State Farm. Instead, they call you a liar, they tell you that you are not hurt or if you were it was only for six weeks, they say it was all preexisting and then they pay a lot of money to hire a doctor to say the same thing. So, sometimes you have to let the people of your community speak. And they did, and did it loudly with masks on. They told State Farm the way it treated its own customer was not acceptable.
A special thanks to our jurors who braved the pandemic to dish out justice and be the good neighbor State Farm refused to be! You are all great citizens!
Attorney Lyndsey Jorgensen recently won an excellent verdict for her client, Brenda. Brenda was injured when she was rear-ended by a negligent driver. Brenda had neck and shoulder pain that showed up a day after she was hit. She had shoulder surgery just four months after the crash for a torn rotator cuff.
The other driver’s company denied that their driver was at fault for the crash. They argued the collision was unavoidable due to slippery road conditions and said he sneezed while driving. The insurance company also denied that Brenda was hurt because she did not have shoulder pain the day of the crash. They argued her shoulder surgery was unrelated to the crash and instead was caused by “degenerative changes.”
The insurance company offered $0 before the lawsuit, and offered $5,000 right before trial. Lyndsey brought the case to trial and won a verdict of over $150,000.00.
Attorneys Nate Maus and Nate Bjerke recently obtained a great result for a client severely injured in a motorcycle crash. Initially, it looked like there was no hope the injured motorcyclist would get justice. The investigating officer and state Patrol accident reconstructionist, along with several witnesses, placed the blame for the crash on our motorcycle driving client.
The case was originally handled by another firm who reached out to Nate Maus after the insurance company for the other driver denied liability and offered $0.00. TSR Injury Law took over the case and renewed an investigation into the crash.
We suspected something wasn’t right about the State Patrol’s investigation. We located previously unidentified witnesses and uncovered new information to refute the findings in the State Patrol’s investigation. The new evidence showed the crash was not our client’s fault. As a result, Attorneys Maus and Bjerke secured a settlement of $750,000.00 for their well deserving client.
Our firm recently represented the victim of a crash caused by a driver who ran a red light. The impact caused the victim’s spine to be whipped back and forth, ripping a disc and causing significant pain. Unfortunately, this injury became chronic.
The insurance company reviewed the claim and offered just $5,000 to the victim. A top offer of $25,000.00 was made days before trial. The insurer said it was only a soft-tissue injury and it should get better.
However, TSR Injury Law partner, Chuck Slane, took the case to trial, where a jury determined the victim’s damages were worth $597,000.
Learn more about the results we have achieved for our clients on our case results page.
Have you been injured in a car crash? Call today to set up a free consultation to find out how we may be able to help you. (612) TSR-TIME
By Dan Linehan [email protected] | Posted: Tuesday, August 25, 2015 5:01 pm
LE CENTER — An 11 year old Sleepy Eye boy who was badly burned by fire at a YMCA camp in 2013 has been awarded more than $500,000 by a Le Sueur County jury.
The six member jury unanimously decided Monday the YMCA was 80 percent responsible for the injury. Camp Patterson, which the Mankato YMCA has long rented for two weeks a year, was deemed 15 percent responsible, and the boy was 5 percent responsible.
The accident happened June 28, 2013, when Sir Spartucus Marion Sanders, then age 9, tripped and fell partly into a fire pit. He suffered second and thirddegree burns on his right arm, hand and left wrist. He has undergone three surgeries and received medical care costing more than $150,000.
In their court filings, the YMCA and the camp argued the case was simply about a young child tripping with untied shoelaces when he was near a fire ring. No one was negligent, they argued, and no one was to blame.
But the boy’s attorney, Nathan Bjerke, argued in court the YMCA needed to do more to keep kids away from dangerous places at the camp. The YMCA had rules, he said, about how campers were supposed to exit the campfire area without coming near the fire pit. “That was our point to the jury,” he said. “The adults need to keep the kids under control.” Assuming the verdict withstands a possible appeal, the money would be deposited in a trust the boy could begin to access in increments as early as age 18, said his court appointed guardian, Minneapolis attorney Douglas Shrewsbury. He is the boy’s guardian only for the purpose of the lawsuit and was appointed because his father has health problems after experiencing a stroke.
Shrewsbury said the boy has made a decent recovery, though he has extensive scarring from skin grafts. “He’s really a wonderful, cute kid,” he said. No one alleged the boy was misbehaving on that Thursday evening in June, the last night of the five day camp along Lake Washington. The campers had finished a talent show around the fire and headed down to Lake Washington to watch a counselor sing a song.
Bjerke said there were differing descriptions of what happened next, including whether the boy walked or ran and whether the counselors were sitting with the children when they headed off. One of the camp’s own counselors, though, chose an unfortunate word, from the YMCA’s perspective, to describe how the children left the benches at about 9:15 that night.
A ‘mayheming’
That was the word a counselor used during a recorded interview conducted by the YMCA’s insurance company shortly after the accident, Bjerke said. And it was one the attorney repeated during the sixday trial. “You just don’t let 75 kids walk by a firepit,” he said Tuesday.
The defendants said in court filings the fire had dwindled to “embers and coals,” though Bjerke said Tuesday it was still active. It was, in any case, hot enough to severely burn the boy, known as Sir. He was initially taken to the hospital in Mankato, then was sent to the Hennepin County Medical Center. He underwent surgery there and stayed for two weeks. In addition to his burns, he has scarring from skin grafts on his thigh and buttock. He saw a counselor to help him adjust psychologically to the burns and scars, but that’s normal, Bjerke said.
He said the family sued after the insurance company offered them $10,000.
Calls to the attorneys for the camp and YMCA weren’t returned, but in court filings they disputed the assertion that children were running or playing near the firepit. Mankato Family YMCA Executive Director John Kind said he believes the injury was an accident. “Obviously, we regret that the young man burned himself at the camp,” he said. But, still, he said “accidents happen and you have to do what you can.” He said a decision has yet to be made on an appeal. If it ends up being paid, the money will likely come from the YMCA’s insurance provider, he said, so unless the nonprofit’s insurance rates go up, it will not have a financial loss from the verdict.
Because the jury found the boy 5 percent at fault, the overall award will be reduced by that amount, Bjerke said. That was a bit surprising, he said, and guessed the boy’s untied shoelaces may have come into play. But the defendants also were ordered to pay for the interest that would have accrued if the award were made at the time of the accident (or perhaps when the lawsuit started; Bjerke said it’s a gray area).
Though the YMCA’s initial filings repeatedly claimed the boy’s father, Marcus Grubbs, signed a waiver releasing the YMCA from liability for accidents, the jury never heard about it. That’s because Judge Mark Vandelist ruled it was unenforceable earlier in the trial, when the YMCA and the camp asked him to toss out the suit. Tucking the waiver form into a document to collect information raised “red flags” to the judge. “Clear notice must be given when a person is to sign away important rights and claims,” Vandelist wrote. “The scope of this waiver is ambiguous, the exculpatory clause is unenforceable.” In 2013, Minnesota passed a law saying these waivers can’t protect defendants from major — “willful” or “wanton,” in legal parlance — negligence. But this waiver didn’t make that distinction, making it overly broad, Bjerke said.
Opportunities
It’s not clear who will help manage the boy’s trust, but Shrewsbury hopes they talk about how it could help send him to college. The boy has had what looks to be a challenging life, with his father’s medical condition and the family’s moves from Illinois to Richfield to Sleepy Eye. “It’s pretty clear this could give him opportunities in the future he doesn’t have now,” Shrewsbury said. The $507,506.33 award was split between past and future health expenses, which amounted to 40 percent of the total, and to pain and suffering. His attorneys will take an undisclosed portion.
In a deposition, his father described Sir as a fast runner, a jokester and a wrestler. Shrewsbury added the boy’s second favorite subject is math. “I think he’s a smart kid,” he said.
6-year-old Jeff Weise shot and killed 7 people at Red Lake High School before taking his own life. In addition to reaching a $1 million settlement with the school district, the twenty-one plaintiffs, representing survivors and the families of victims, also filed suit against MacNeil Environmental of Burnsville, the firm hired to evaluate and improve security measures on campus prior to the shootings.
Rich Ruohonen represented Steven Cobenais, the most severely injured student, in the suit, which was recently settled for $1.5 million.
Bloomington, MN (PRWEB) November 18 — Chuck Slane, TSR Injury Law Partner and Minnesota Top 40 Plaintiff’s Attorney, represented William Kieper for injuries suffered in a car crash in Burnsville, Minnesota, January, 17, 2006.
Minnesota Personal Injury Attorney Chuck Slane tried the case of Kieper v. Shea to a Dakota County jury in October (case #19HA-CV-09-61). The case involved a client who underwent spinal fusion surgery as a result of a car crash. The crash was caused by inattention; Defendant Shea simply drove into the back of Kieper’s vehicle.
Shea and her insurance carrier, State Farm, claimed the crash was caused by ice. Furthermore, they claimed the crash was unavoidable. However, on the eve of trial, that defense was abandoned and liability was admitted. Instead they argued that the surgery was the result of pre-existing degenerative changes rather than the crash.
The insurance company offered only $15,000 until the eve of trial at which point they raised the offer to $90,000. After a week-long trial, the jury provided $200,000 of compensation to Kieper.
TSR Injury Law is a personal injury law firm with experience resolving and litigating a broad spectrum of personal injuries. We have helped thousands of people recover millions in deserved compensation. For more information, visit www.tsrinjurylaw.com or contact Chuck Slane at (612) TSR-TIME. TSR Injury Law is located at 8300 Norman Center Drive, Suite 1275, Bloomington, Minnesota, 55437.
Steve Terry Chuck Slane Rich Ruohonen 8300 Norman Center Drive, Suite 1275 Bloomington, Minnesota 55437 (612) TSR-TIME www.tsrinjurylaw.com www.terryandslane.com www.minnesotapersonal-injurylawyer.com
Charles Slane and Rich Ruohonen just obtained a $2.3 Million verdict today for this wonderful 91-year old woman who lost her leg in a crash. American Family denied the claim saying it was her fault with only $50,000 in coverage. They blamed Jean even though their insured plead guilty for dropping a mattress on the highway that caused the crash.
TSR gave American Family an opportunity to do the right thing and pay Jean the $50,000 policy limit but they refused. Now American Family is on the hook for the whole amount. This great group of jurors from our community (pictured below) held the defendant and American Family accountable and provided justice for Jean. It’s TSR Time!! — with Myka Becker and 19 others at Hennepin County Government Center.
Bloomington, Minn. (PRWEB) September 2, 2009 — Rich Ruohonen, TSR Injury Law partner and Minnesota Super Lawyer, represented a woman named Sabina Babaca for injuries suffered in a car crash near Barron, Wisconsin, on October 7, 2005.
According to court records, Babaca was a passenger in her husband’s vehicle being driven on Highway 8. Her husband attempted to pass a vehicle, in a legal passing zone. A truck pulled out onto the highway into his path causing an immediate collision.
Ms. Babaca had to be extricated by emergency personnel. It is on record that she suffered a left radial arm fracture requiring open reduction internal fixation with the use of a plate and 6 screws. The fracture caused a mild radial nerve injury resulting in ongoing pain. She also sustained a shoulder soft tissue injury on the same side.
The record reflects that Babaca incurred approximately $100,000 in medical bills and wage loss, most of which were paid by no-fault. The defendant offered $85,000 to settle this case prior to trial. The offer was declined by Babaca and Ruohonen, sending the case to trial. (Sabina Babaca v. Adam’s Automotive, Inc., David Adams and Erie Insurance Exchange, Case No. 08 CV 23)
The defendant’s insurance company, Erie Insurance, hired an accident reconstruction expert to testify at trial. Court records show that during cross examination, Ruohonen was able to get the following strategic admissions from this expert:
that Mr. Babaca was not speeding at the time of the collision
that by the time Adams pulled out it was too late for Mr. Babaca to stop to avoid the collision
that Mr. Adam’s was not fully in the lane upon impact (demonstrating Mr. Adams had just pulled out at the time of the collision)
Rich Ruohonen, with co-counsel Mark Yira of Yira Law Offices, pointed out numerous different medical records, photographs of bruising, and other injury evidence supporting ongoing pain. Additionally, the doctor who did the initial surgery at Eau Claire Hospital, Dr. Leland Meyer, and an ongoing pain management doctor, Dr. Paul Biewen, testified on behalf of Ms. Babaca.
It is on record that the jury found 75% fault on Adams and 25% fault on Mr. Babaca. The jury awarded $80,723.71 in past medical expenses, $19,440 in past wages, $80,000 in past pain and suffering, and $36,800 in future medical expenses. The total verdict was $216,163.71. Erie Insurance paid $162,122.7 (75% of the verdict) plus an additional amount for costs and interest owed.
The total paid was approximately double the final offer made by Erie Insurance prior to trial. This is believed to be one of the largest Plaintiff’s verdicts in Barron County, Wisconsin in several years.
TSR Injury Law 8300 Norman Center Drive Suite 1275 Bloomington, MN 55437 www.tsrinjurylaw.com
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Our firm recently represented the victim of a crash caused by a driver who ran a red light. The impact caused the victim’s spine to be whipped back and forth, ripping a disc and causing significant pain. Unfortunately, this injury became chronic.
