Archive for the ‘Replacement Services’ Category


Drunk Driving Accidents: College Students

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

TSR Injury Law
Minnesota Drunk Driving Accidents Lawyers
Recovered Millions for Victims of Drunk Driving Accidents

drinking-game-1 Drunk Driving Accidents: College StudentsBinge drinking on college campuses has gotten out of control. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in an increase in drunk driving and drunk driving accidents. It is time for everyone to work together to address and find ways to resolve the problem.

TSR Injury Law is committed to seeking justice for victims of drunk driving accidents. We have litigated hundreds of drunk driving accident cases and recovered millions for hurting families. Call us at 612-362-0000 or submit our contact form for a free consultation. Under Minnesota law, you may be eligible to collect for property damage, wage loss, replacement services, pain and suffering, and possibly punitive damages.

College Student Drinking Statistics

A government site aimed toward college drinking prevention has compiled a list of statistics about the consequences of excessive drinking on college campuses:

  • Death: 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (Hingson et al., 2005).
  • Injury: 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2005).
  • Assault: More than 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking (Hingson et al., 2005).
  • Sexual Abuse: More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Hingson et al., 2005).
  • Unsafe Sex: 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex (Hingson et al., 2002).
  • Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (Engs et al., 1996; Presley et al., 1996a, 1996b; Wechsler et al., 2002).
  • Health Problems/Suicide Attempts: More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem (Hingson et al., 2002) and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use (Presley et al., 1998).
  • Drunk Driving: 2.1 million students between the ages of 18 and 24 drove under the influence of alcohol last year (Hingson et al., 2002).
  • Vandalism: About 11 percent of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol (Wechsler et al., 2002).
  • Property Damage: More than 25 percent of administrators from schools with relatively low drinking levels and over 50 percent from schools with high drinking levels say their campuses have a “moderate” or “major” problem with alcohol-related property damage (Wechsler et al., 1995).
  • Police Involvement: About 5 percent of 4-year college students are involved with the police or campus security as a result of their drinking (Wechsler et al., 2002) and an estimated 110,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are arrested for an alcohol-related violation such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence (Hingson et al., 2002).
  • Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: 31 percent of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6 percent for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the past 12 months, according to questionnaire-based self-reports about their drinking (Knight et al., 2002).

Drunk Driving and How College Students Can Help

Many college students are bothered by the amount of drinking on campus and want to find solutions. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation conducted a national poll of college-age students and found that 70% favor a drinking age of 21 and 65% of those polled want drinking laws and rules more strongly enforced.

College students interested in impacting the drinking culture on their college campus can get involved in campus-based student groups, either through MADD MN, campus leaders, or law enforcement-sponsored initiatives.

Minnesota Drunk Driving Accidents Lawyer

TSR Injury Law is proactive in the fight against drunk driving accidents. In fact, we recently participated in the 2010 Walk Like MADD 5K Event sponsored by MADD Minnesota, at Raspberry Park. We care that you are hurting and we want to help in your fight for justice. Contact us today at 612-362-0000.


Minnesota Car Accident: Coup Contrecoup Injury

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

mn-neck-injury-1 Minnesota Car Accident: Coup Contrecoup Injury Coup and contrecoup injury can occur even in a relatively minor accident. If the head snaps, front to back or side to side, the brain will slam and recoil against the skull. The majority of head trauma hospitalizations are car accident related and classified as minor injuries; that is, no or only momentary loss of consciousness, no major complications, and no intracranial surgery.

A coup and contrecoup injury:

  • is defined as bruising at both the impact site and the opposite side of the brain
  • occurs when the force of the impact causes bruising at the impact site and further bruising on the opposite side of the skull
  • can occur individually or together
  • are considered a focal injury rather than a diffuse injury

Coup contrecoup is classified as a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the United States, a traumatic brain injury occurs every 15 seconds and it is one of the leading causes of death for people under the age of 45. The long-term impact of a traumatic brain injury can range from full recovery to a life time of disability. A study by Rebecca Rimel, published by Neurosurgery, addressed disability issues associated with minor head injury. For the parameters of the study, minor head injury was defined as 20 minutes or less of unconsciousness, a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13-15, and less than 48 hours of hospitalization. The statistics from the study are dramatic.

424 patients who sustained minor head trauma were evaluated 3 months after injury in the following areas:

  • history of events since the accident
  • assessment of subjective complaints
  • objective measures such as employment status
  • a neurological exam
  • a psychosocial assessment designed for estimating life stress
  • a neuropsychological test battery to measure higher cortical function

Of these 424 patients, 79% complained of persistent headaches, and 59% described problems with memory. Of the patients who had been gainfully employed before the accident, 34% were unemployed 3 months later. The most striking observation is the high rate of unemployment in patients 3 months after a seemingly insignificant head injury and the evidence that many of these patients may have, in fact, suffered organic brain damage. (Neurosurgery 9:221-228, 1981)

This study again shows that there is no such thing as a mild brain injury. When a person sustains a brain injury in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, or pedestrian accident; their life is forever changed.

There is no way to put a price tag on a coup contrecoup injury. How do you assess value to change in personality, change in ability to concentrate, loss of drive, and permanent disability? It is disheartening to have an injury that total changes your life — and then have people label it as mild or negligible.

If your coup contrecoup injury is the result of an accident, that was not your fault, you do have legal recourse. Our Minnesota Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers are experts in the area of coup contrecoup TBIs. We will fight for a generous and fair settlement for your injuries. Call 612-362-0000. See our video center for more information on traumatic brain injuries.


Minnesota Car Accident: What Does Fault Have to Do with It?

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

mn-law-books-1 Minnesota Car Accident: What Does Fault Have to Do with It?No fault insurance coverage pays for medical bills (up to the limits provided), replacement services, lost wages, retraining, and funeral expenses. You are covered whether you were at fault or not. You are covered by your no fault coverage no matter whose car you were in at the time you were hurt. The state of Minnesota enacted the no fault insurance to speed up the payment process. The court does not have to determine fault before the out-of-pocket expenses are paid by the insurance company. Sometimes it works.

If you want to make a claim for pain and suffering or disability, against the person who caused the accident, you will have to prove the other person’s fault was greater than your own. In many cases, that is not difficult — like most rear-end collisions. But in some cases, it is your word against their word about how the accident happened. In those cases, the judge or jury has to decide the degree of fault for each of the involved parties.

In every accident, the law says the fault of the involved parties has to add up to 100%. In a jury trial, the jury will determine the percentage of fault. Here is how it plays out:

The jury awards you $500,000 for an injury that left you with a limp. It was determined that you were without fault. You will receive $500,000.

A jury awards you $200,000 for your injuries, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Then the jury determines that you were 20% at fault. The amount of your settlement is reduced by 20%, making the total you actually receive $160,000.

If the jury determines your percentage of fault to exceed 50%, no matter how badly you were hurt, you receive nothing.

Nearly half of the time, legitimate requests for payment are denied by the insurance company. There are other instances where the injured person is not aware of the extent of coverage available; they do not request payment and the insurance company will not usually volunteer to pay.

The bottom line is that in any car accident with injuries, it is wise to contact a personal injury attorney to ensure that your rights are protected, that you receive the compensation you need and deserve, and to ensure that all available insurance will be accessed. Our attorneys have successfully represented and fought for clients in hundreds of car accident injury cases, resulting in many large settlements and verdicts. Contact one of our Minnesota Car Accident Attorneys at 612-362-0000.