Personal Injury

A 79 year-old St. Paul woman was killed after being struck by ambulance as they backed down an alley to get closer to the scene of a car accident Saturday night. They were responding to a call that a car had crashed through a fence behind a Walgreen’s Drug Store.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name has not been released, pending notification of relatives.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman issued a statement,

“Words fail us at times like these. They fail to express the depth of our sadness for those who lost a loved one today. They fail to touch the anguish of the paramedic crew whose jobs sent them on a fateful run. We will fully investigate the circumstances of this tragic accident, and as this day ends in grief, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim as they go through this difficult time.”

Drivers of emergency services vehicles, even when answering emergency calls, owe a duty of care to other road users and pedestrians. They should be especially careful when in reverse. The Bloomington, MN personal injury attorneys at TSR Injury Law are skilled, aggressive litigators with years of experience in wrongful death cases. Our partners are consistently named Super Lawyers and Top Lawyers by Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine and Law & Politics.

Free Consultation. Ph: (612) TSR-TIME.

No one wants to be the victim of a surgical error, especially when that error could result in their death. But what if that error could end up leaving a person a vegetable? What would be the best course of action on the surgeon’s part? What consequences would they face if they were to pull the plug? Doing so could leave a lot of questions as to whether or not a person had a shot at any quality of life. So what do they do?

Research that was recently published in the Annals of Surgery states that surgeons may not wish to pull life support from a patient when there has been a complication due to a medical error during surgery.

To conduct the study, researchers surveyed 2,100 surgeons who specialize in high-risk procedures. The survey contained details of a hypothetical nature of a patient who suffered a hemiplegic stroke and experienced respiratory failure in order to determine what would influence the surgeon to pull life support. Approximately 56% of the surgeons surveyed responded.

The results showed that 63% of the surgeons would not honor the patient’s wishes or the wishes of the family to withdraw life support on the seventh day. The unwillingness increased when the scenario showed the patient’s outcome was due to an error on the surgeon’s part. The surgeons who stated they would not withdraw life support said their decision was due to an optimistic belief that the patient would have some kind of future quality of life. The surgeons concluded that it can be difficult to predict whether or not a patient can live comfortably unless certain factors are present that state otherwise, such as brain death.

If your loved one has been fatally injured due to a surgical error, the family of that victim may be able to hold the negligent parties responsible for their actions. An experienced Minneapolis medical malpractice lawyer at TSR Injury Law can help to review the details of the incident and determine if there are grounds to file a lawsuit. There are no upfront fees if you hire us and we only get paid when we obtain a recovery on your behalf.

Free Consultation. Ph: (612) TSR-TIME.

At TSR Injury Law Firm we can help you uncover the truth behind the accident and determine what comes next. Serious swimming pool injuries can result in life changing complications, especially if faced with a spine or brain injury. Swimming pool drowning often result in death or serious brain damage due to the lack of oxygen to the brain while in the water.

Potential Injury Causes

TSR Injury Law Firm represents clients facing all types of swimming pool injuries and accidents such as:

• Drowning
• Brain and spine injuries
• Slip and fall accidents
• Lack of supervision
• Unsafe pool conditions
• Head injuries and trauma

Make sure you understand your legal rights when it comes to swimming pool accidents. It is the legal responsibility of the public pool to keep their swimmers safe. You may be entitled to compensation through a public liability insurance lawsuit. However, the rules surrounding this type of insurance claim can be complicated to say the least. Furthermore, many insurance companies will try to get out of paying you a fair amount. Don’t settle for the first quote you are offered by an insurance agency.

Speak to our qualified Minnesota personal injury lawyer first to see what rights you have and what this means for your financial future.

Swimming Pool Injuries and Children

It is often children that will be victim to swimming pool accidents. During swimming lessons the teacher must be watching every child at the same time. Furthermore, during public swimming lifeguards must watch the water and the kids for any risky or unsafe behavior. If something does happen, they will need to do their best to safe the child.

When your child has been seriously injured in a swimming pool accident or if the accident has resulted in a tragic loss, then you are going to need some time off. You will want to be there for them or be with your family to grieve for this loss. This is why it is so important to speak to a Minnesota injury lawyer as soon as you can.

Swimming Pool Injury Lawyers – Minneapolis, MN

In the event of a life changing swimming pool accident, we can help ensure that your family is taken care of financially. Compensation can help you with things like a loss of income, medical equipment and hospital bills. Call (612) TSR-TIME for a free initial consultation about your case or submit our free consultation form.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a process of breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. By pressurizing the oxygen, it can dissolve in the plasma, spinal fluid, and other body fluids — allowing oxygen to reach and regenerate more cells than without the therapy. Many injury conditions may respond well to hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an expense that insurance companies may be hesitant to pay. If hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a viable option to heal your injury (sustained due to the negligence of another), our Minnesota Personal Injury Attorneys will fight for your right to receive fair compensation to cover the additional expenses. Contact a Minnesota Personal Injury Attorney at 612-TSR-TIME.

How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Works

Pressurized oxygen increases the capacity of the blood to transport oxygen throughout the body. The blood becomes hyperoxygenated. Normally, oxygen is carried by hemoglobin in the red blood cells. It reaches only the cells with adequate blood supply. Once oxygen is pressurized and dissolves in the blood and body fluids, it can be transported to all tissues, providing the possibility of new cell life and healing.

Types of Injuries Where Hyberbaric Oxygen Therapy May be Effective:

• traumatic brain injury
• spinal injury
• burn injury
• severe bone fracture

Potential Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy:

• stimulate cell regeneration
• promote growth of new capillaries
• boost collagen formation
• mobilize stem cells
• increase blood flow to organs
• enhance white blood cell action

Potential Complications from Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy:

• ruptured middle ear
• headache
• fatigue
• myopia
• sinus damage
• lung damage
• respiratory failure

Personal Injuries and This Type of Treatment

If your injury was due to the negligence of someone else, you deserve fair compensation for all of your related medical expenses and treatment, pain and suffering, and wage loss. You need an experienced Bloomington personal injury lawyer to maximize your coverage and obtain compensation for prescribed hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We have successfully handled cases where hyperbaric therapy was used, including a traumatic brain injury case that settled for $600,000. Call (612) TSR-TIME for an appointment to discuss your case, or submit our free consultation form.

TSR Injury Law is a premier personal injury law firm serving Minnesota and the state of Minnesota. Our partners are skilled, aggressive litigators with extensive medical knowledge. Call us today (612) TSR-TIME or submit our free consultation form. We can help.

Shoulder Impingement

Shoulder impingement is a soft tissue injury. It occurs when the scapula rubs or pressures the rotator cuff, causing increasing damage, pain, and loss of range of motion.

Impingement starts when the shoulder sustains trauma or injury leading to compression of the soft tissue under the acromion. The soft tissue (rotator cuff muscles, tendons, and bursa) are located between the acromion and the head of the humerus. This area is called the sub-acromial space. Once the soft tissue is aggravated, they become inflamed and swollen. This leads to a cycle of compression and inflammation.

Shoulder Impingement Treatment

Conservative treatment should be pursued prior to surgery. Physical therapy is very effective in many cases of shoulder impingement, especially if therapy starts promptly after injury. The next step is usually corticosteroid injections into the sub-acromial space to reduce swelling and pain. If physical therapy and injections both fail to alleviate the problem, then arthroscopic surgery is recommended.

Following surgery, the arm will be immobilized for a short time. This will be followed by more physical therapy to improve range of motion and strength. It will take 2-4 months to achieve full pain relief.

Have Some Questions?

Chronic pain is very debilitating and can lead to poor job performance and depression. If you have been working on recovering from shoulder impingement due to trauma or negligence, you do not have to stand alone. We will fight for justice on your behalf. Call (612) TSR-TIME to speak to a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis or submit our contact form and a member from our team will contact you shortly.

Free Consultation. Ph: (612) TSR-TIME.

Camping can be a fun and adventurous recreational activity if one prepares for the dangers and obstacles that the great outdoors may present. According to a National Park Service ranger, the number one cause of injury and death in the wilderness is unpreparedness. By bringing along the proper safety equipment and by being prepared to fight the elements, camping can be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Don’t forget the:

• Sunscreen
• Compass
• First aid kit
• Insect repellent
• Burn ointment
• Calamine lotion
• Antihistamines
• Inclement weather

Be sure to check the almanac or the weather forecast before planning a camping trip. Getting stuck in a severe storm can be very dangerous. Even if you do plan ahead, storms may hit at any time. If you are caught in a thunderstorm or other serious storm, try to find your way back to your vehicle or find an open clearing away from trees.

Animal confrontation

Always be on the lookout for wild animals in their natural habitat, including bears, elk, moose, deer and snakes. Do not, under any circumstances, approach or try to feed a wild animal. Keep all of your food properly stored away at your campsite so as to not attract animals. If you do come across a wild animal, stay calm and slowly move away from it.

Campfire safety

Be sure to clear the area of all debris and avoid building fires in areas with overhanging branches or near tents and other flammable items. Be sure to have a bucket of water, shovel and a fire extinguisher nearby and in case you need to put out the fire. Never leave the fire unattended and never use flammable fluids to start a fire. When you are done, be sure to completely extinguish the fire.

Contact Us

If you or a loved one has been injured by another party’s negligence while on a camping trip, it is important to know what your legal options are. To speak with an experienced Minneapolis personal injury attorney, contact the offices of TSR Injury Law at (612) TSR-TIME or submit our contact form.

You have put an enormous amount of effort into researching the best schools, daycare facilities, and babysitters for your child. You put your trust in the system. Now you find that trust has been betrayed and your child has been injured, leaving you to deal with the overwhelming feelings of guilt, fear, and anger.

If your child was injured because a caretaker failed to provide adequate safety or supervision, it can be grounds for a lawsuit. Contact a Minnesota personal child injury lawyer at TSR Injury Law by calling 612-TSR-TIME or submit our free consultation form. Our partners are compassionate and diligent, and we will fight for justice in your case.

Responsibility and Accountability

School districts, daycare centers, and other childcare providers are acting “in loco parentis” for the time that the child spends with them. This means that they are legally responsible for the health and safety of your child. At TSR Injury Law, we believe that anyone who works with children has a serious responsibility and should be held accountable for their mistakes. A civil suit can help you regain money lost to medical bills and time off work, as well as compensate you for the suffering your family has experienced.

Our Minnesota personal injury attorneys are prepared to help you with a variety of child injury cases, including:

• School/Playground Injuries
• Daycare Injuries
• Dangerous Toys
• School Bus Accidents

Contact Us

If your child has been injured due to a caretaker’s negligence, do not hesitate to contact TSR Injury Law. We will review your situation, and if you have a case, we will fight for the compensation you deserve. Call today at 612-TSR-TIME or submit our contact form.

(WCCO) After the beating and sexual assault of a 3-year-old boy in the Kids Quest child care center at Grand Casino Mille Lacs, it was discovered that casino centers like this one are not licensed by the state.

Investigators think a 9-year-old boy was responsible for the attack that happened at Kids Quest, a child care center that is run by New Horizon.

“Obviously there wasn’t adequate supervision or this never would have happened,” said the victim’s attorney Richard Ruohonen.

The 3-year-old’s mother said the boy received cuts and bruises during the attack at Kids Quest.

“There should have been police called and there should have been medical personnel there and unfortunately that didn’t happen,” said Ruohonen.

“I can’t speak for Kids Quest. You’d have to inquire of them why they did not contact authorities,” said Mille Lacs Band Of Ojibwe Solicitor General Rjay Brunkow.

WCCO-TV did contact New Horizon, who leases the Kids Quest space from the casino, and they refused to say.

The victim’s attorney said the toddler told his mother that the assault happened inside a pink ball in the play area.

“Our client was told they only check the tubes, the enclosed areas, once an hour,” said Ruohonen. “And to only check them once an hour, if that’s true, and that’s what she was told, is frankly ridiculous.”

Child care center on any tribal land are not licensed by Minnesota’s Human Services Department. The Native American government of each band determines requirements and regulations for day care centers.

“We do have the ability to insist that changes are made or Kids Quest will no longer be associated with the band,” said Brunkow.

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, Kids Quest’s vendor license was temporarily suspended and the doors closed pending a hearing on Friday. Meantime, the wounded child and his mother are trying to cope with the trauma.

“He’s scared, he’s sleeping at night with his mom. He reaches out for her every night to see if she is there?” said Ruohonen. “She’s angry at the fact it was allowed to happen. The fact that there was no one there watching out for her son.”

The family only came forward to share their tragedy to prevent other children from suffering the same fate. They’re just sorry something as terrible as this had to happen before changes were made at the casino.

Kids Quest at Grand Casino Hinkley is also temporarily shut down. The other child care centers operated by New Horizon at Jackpot Junction and Treasure Island remain open.

TSR Injury Law was a member of the 35W Bridge Collapse Pro Bono Consortium.

We are now handling six personal injury cases from the bridge collapse disaster. These cases should go to trial in June.

It has been almost two years since the Interstate 35W bridge collapse and the bridge girders are still littering Bohemian Flats parkland in Minneapolis. The wreckage covers 7 acres of the park. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board would like them moved because it is costing them in lost revenue — $16,000 annually from a pay parking lot and $20,000 in fees from a private excursion boat company that cannot operate from the park.

There are lawsuits pending from 117 survivors and relatives of victims from the bridge collapse. They want — and need — the girders preserved in place. The waste land of steel is evidence that can be used to prove their cases for legal liability. The girders are arranged in a way that replicates their position before the collapse. They still have visual impact.

The court said MnDOT could move the wreckage, but the court is not willing to order the legal protection for the move that MnDOT was seeking.

If there is anyway we can help you through a personal injury, where someone else was responsible, call (612) TSR-TIME or submit our free consultation form. Our attorneys are skilled, compassionate personal injury lawyers who will work aggressively to see justice done.

If you have sustained a SLAP tear, you need to be proactive in your medical care because that part of the labrum has poor vascular supply which can make healing difficult. If it does not heal well, you could face a lifetime of chronic shoulder pain. We want to help you obtain adequate compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Call (612) TSR-TIME or submit our free consultation form. Our partners have been named Super Lawyers many times and have a reputation for getting the job done.

Labral Tear – SLAP Tear Injury Information

When the glenoid labrum is torn, it is called a labral tear. Labral tears are classified by the location of the tear in relation to the glenoid. A SLAP tear is when the glenoid labrum is separated at the tendon of the biceps muscle from front to back. The acronym stands for Superior Labral tear Anterior to Posterior. A SLAP tear occurs frequently in slip and fall accidents when the person falls on an outstretched arm or in car accidents when the arm is outstretched to brace against impact.

A SLAP tear can be difficult to diagnose. The best way to confirm a SLAP tear is with an MRI contrast. There are some risks associated with the contrast injection (gadolinium), including allergic reaction, dizziness, shortness of breath, blood clots, and kidney damage. Because of the risks associated with the MRI contrast, many people let the doctor make the diagnosis at the time of surgery.

SLAP Tear Treatment

Surgery is almost always necessary to recover from a severe SLAP tear injury. The surgery options are:

• open incision, where it permits the surgeon more visibility
• arthroscopic, where there is less chance of infection and recovery time is shorter

SLAP Tear Recovery

Whether you opt for open or arthroscopic surgery, physical therapy is mandatory. Physical therapy begins at about four weeks. Full recovery from a SLAP tear injury depends on the extent of damage, how it was treated, and how faithfully physical therapy was performed. It will usually be at least 3-4 months before your shoulder feels close to normal. It can take up to a year for your shoulder to be completely healed after surgery.

Need Some Legal Help?

The personal injury lawyers in Bloomington at TSR Injury Law are skilled, aggressive litigators with years of experience handling complex medical cases. Call (612) TSR-TIME or submit our contact form. Consultations are free. No fees until we win.

Any injury is scary, but a spinal injury is frightening — with very real fears for the future. We care about your injury and want to help. If your spinal injury was from an accident that was not your fault, you deserve compensation for your pain and suffering, medical expenses, and lost wages.

Contact our Minnesota Bulging Disc Lawyers at (612) TSR-TIME. TSR Injury Law has established a reputation for success in the area of personal injury litigation. Our partners have been named Minnesota Super Lawyers many times by their peers.

Bulging Disc Injury

Many bulging disc injuries are from deceleration in a car accident when the spine is restrained and bent over the seat belt, many times at an angle. A bulging disc most often occurs in the lower back, but may occur in the neck.

When the spine is stressed and pulled out of place, it can put uneven pressure on the disc and cause irritation and damage. A bulging disc can protrude into the spinal canal causing pain and potentially long-term repercussions if the disc ruptures or becomes herniated.

The spine is critical to the overall health of the body. The discs keep the spine flexible, allowing twisting, bending, and basically all physical activity. The gel in the discs absorb the stress of all the body movement. When a disc bulges or compresses, it can cause narrowing of the spinal canal leading to limited, painful movement.

A bulging disc is less severe than a ruptured or herniated disc, but if it goes undiagnosed or untreated may lead to the more serious ruptured or herniated disc.

Bulging Disc Diagnosis & Treatment

An x-ray will not reveal anything about the health of the disc, but may be used to verify the health of the bones. A physical exam and MRI are the best ways to diagnose a bulging disc.

A bulging disc may heal with rest and physical therapy. If the bulging disc becomes more serious by rupturing, surgery may be necessary to remove part of the disc or the entire disc. At this point, they may replace the disc with a synthetic disc or fuse the segments to prevent movement and instability.

Contact Us Today

If your injury was due to the negligence of another, you may be able to obtain compensation for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other losses. Call (612) TSR-TIME today. We will schedule an appointment to discuss your case. If you prefer, submit our free consultation form. We will fight for justice in your case.

While motor vehicle airbags have reduced the number of fatalities; unfortunately they have increased other vehicle injuries, including face, eye, chest, and ear injuries. It has been estimated that more than 200,000 airbags are deployed each year. A wide variety of airbag-induced ear injuries occur every year, many of them permanent. These include hearing loss, tinnitus, disequilibrium, and otalgia (ear pain). That number may increase significantly with the addition of lateral airbags as standard equipment on vehicles. In laboratory blast tests, it has been shown that if the ear aligns toward the blast it doubles the pressure experienced.

What Is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is the perception of sound, or phantom noise, in the ears or head where no external source is present. Tinnitus can be intermittent or constant, in one ear or both ears. The volume can range from subtle to piercing.

Normal Means of Hearing: Sound would normally be a series of pressure waves that move the ear drum in and out. The chain of bones in the middle ear transform that, moving finally, the last bone in the chain called the stapes. Much like when you take a rock and throw it into the water you can see the waves ripple away from it, the stapes bone creates waves in the fluids of the inner ear. The inner ear compartment (cochlea) has small hair cells, called cilia, suspended in this fluid. As they move they discharge an electrical signal onto the hearing nerve and it is sent back to the brain where it is interpreted. So, the purpose of the cilia is to transmit the signal to the nerve and then on to the brain.

Why Is the Noise Created?

With tinnitus, the cilia are damaged or destroyed. In accidents, a head trauma can destroy cilia in the cochlea or the explosion of the air bag deploying can cause hearing loss and tinnitus.

You would think with the cilia destroyed, there would simply be hearing loss. That is not always the case. Most undamaged ears perceive that a signal is being created by the cilia. The cilium itself also creates a signal periodically which basically tells the brain there is silence. If that signal is lost, you get what is called disinhibition — the loss of the signal for silence.

When there is no signal telling the brain there is silence, the brain then interprets that as a noise or an abnormal perception — which can be described as ringing, buzzing, roaring, clicking, whistling, or hissing.

Treatment for Tinnitus

Cilia are similar to brain cells in that once they are destroyed they are gone forever. They do not heal or regenerate. People have tried different things to minimize the effects or improve the severity of tinnitus, including:

• Taking supplements such as magnesium, zinc, Ginkgo biloba, or B vitamins
• Acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy, magnets, hyperbaric oxygen, or hypnosis
• Avoidance of alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, foods with a high sugar content, use of tonic water

Treatment options:

• There is one drug that is commercially available in the United States that has been used for the treatment of tinnitus, but it has a number of unacceptable side effects. Most people choose not to take it.
• Hearing aids are an option, but can have a boom quality — they amplify frequencies that the patient does not want amplified.
• Masking devices can be purchased that can create another noise at another frequency that is less objectionable or at a frequency with which there is less interference.

Tinnitus Injury? Contact Us Today

A personal injury attorney in Minneapolis from TSR Injury Law can work on your behalf to validate your injury to the insurance company. We have argued and won many cases of tinnitus. We know it is a debilitating condition and we know you need compensation for your loss. All of our attorneys are skilled, aggressive litigators with years of experience handling personal injury cases. To speak to a lawyer today, call (612) TSR-TIME or submit our contact form and a member from our team will be in contact with you shortly.

Free Consultation. Ph: (612) TSR-TIME.