Client was operating a motorcycle on a highway in North Dakota. Another driver in a pickup pulling a utility trailer pulled out directly in front of the motorcyclist. The motorcyclist struck the trailer and ended up losing his left leg just below the knee. When law enforcement arrived to the scene of the accident, the client was lying on the roadway, bleeding profusely, with his lower leg separated from his body on the road.
The driver operating the pickup was operating a commercial vehicle and towing a commercial trailer for purposes of business. A settlement was obtained in the amount of $1.8 million for this motorcyclist who lost his lower leg with all medical expenses paid separately.
The client was renting a home. The home was in disrepair and the renter reported this condition on numerous occasions to the property owner. The disrepair resulted in several unsafe conditions regarding the property. The property owner did nothing to remedy the unsafe conditions which existed in the home. The renter was always timely with their rental payments and there were no issues whatsoever other than these unsafe conditions. The renter suffered a serious injury to her knee when she fell as a direct result of these unsafe conditions. The injury required several surgeries. The case was eventually resolved for $350,000.
The client was a passenger in a semi at the time of injury. As a result of a defective door latch on the passenger side of the semi-tractor, the client fell out of the moving semi. Client suffered a concussion and had shoulder surgery as a result of the incident. The commercial insurance carrier initially denied any insurance coverage because the passenger was not an employee lawfully occupying the semi-tractor at the time of the incident. Because the passenger was in the semi-tractor with the permission and consent of the driver, the denial of coverage was reversed by the commercial insurance carrier. The case was resolved for $194,500.
The client was at a complete stop for a stop sign in traffic. The vehicle stopped in front of him began pulling out into the roadway and realized a large semi was coming at a high rate of speed. That driver slammed his vehicle in reverse to avoid the collision with the semi and instead struck the client’s stationary vehicle while moving backward. As a result of the at fault driver pulling in front of an oncoming semi thereby requiring the evasive action of throwing his vehicle in reverse, the client suffered a minor injury to his knee requiring a minor surgical procedure. That case was eventually resolved for $52,300.
The law firm represented the family of a 16-year-old who died as a result of being given a mixture of chemicals constituting a drug without his knowledge. The drugs were a lethal mix of chemicals being mixed at home where it was apparent drug manufacturing was taking place. The claim was made under that homeowner policy for negligence regarding the homeowner. It was alleged in the policy that the homeowner was negligent in allowing drug manufacturing to take place in the home. Coverage was initially denied by the homeowner insurance carrier on the basis that drug manufacturing was excluded under the policy. A substantial settlement was obtained for the family related to the death of this young man. This was one of the first successful cases in Minnesota involving a successful negligence claim as a result of the manufacture of unlawful drugs. As a result of the precedent set in this important case, a number of other settlements were obtained by the law firm involving the death of other young adults under similar circumstances involving the manufacturer of lethal substances.
