Law Firm for Some 35W Victims Allowed into Site
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A law firm representing some victims of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse site said Friday its investigators had been granted access to the site. A federal judge in mid-August had rejected a request by Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben to be allowed on site. At the time, a recovery operation was ongoing for…
Legal Team is Given Access to Bridge Site
Bridge experts hired by a Minneapolis law firm were granted access Thursday to limited portions of the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge. On Thursday morning, a team of internationally recognized experts whose previous projects include the World Trade Center Towers, the Tropicana Hotel & Casino parking ramp and other structural collapses, examined previously restricted portions of…
Law Firm Allowed Limited Access by State to Bridge Collapse Site
The Minneapolis law firm of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben represents the families of several who were killed in the 35W Bridge Collapse, as well as many of the injured survivors. As a result of negotiations with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office and Minnesota Department of Transportation, five bridge experts employed by the law firm were…
Nick Coleman: Protecting Dignity? It’s Really Dodging Responsibility
After the Twin Towers were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, and as the recovery of the victims stretched from days and weeks into months, New York City built four platforms to allow the public to see the site. The platforms, each of which could hold up to 400 people, were open for five months, and…
Law Firm Denied Petition For Access To Bridge Site
Minneapolis A law firm that asked a federal court to grant its experts immediate access to the Interstate 35W bridge collapse site so they can begin their own investigation into what could lead to wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits has been denied that access by a federal judge. The petition was filed in U.S….
Law Firm Petitions for Access to Bridge Collapse Site
MINNEAPOLIS- A law firm asked a federal court to grant its experts immediate access to the Interstate 35W bridge collapse site so they can begin their own investigation into what could lead to wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits. The petition was filed in U.S. District Court here Monday by the law firm of Schwebel,…
Minnesota Bridge Death Toll up to Eight
MINNEAPOLIS — The official death toll in the devastating collapse of a highway bridge here last week rose to eight after rescue divers found what appeared to be three bodies Thursday and another body Friday. The Hennepin County medical examiner’s office identified one victim as Peter Joseph Hausmann, 47, a computer security specialist and former…
Possible Flaw Identified in I-35W Bridge Design
Federal officials investigating the Interstate 35W bridge disaster said Wednesday that they are looking at a possible design flaw in some of the steel plates under the bridge and issued an alert that added weight from construction work may have been a factor in its collapse. Opening a new window into last week’s fatal bridge…
Effects of Bridge Work Weren’t Analyzed
As federal investigators continued to pursue evidence Thursday in the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, state officials said they had no reason to analyze the potential impact of resurfacing the bridge before authorizing that work. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) said it didn’t need an analysis beforehand because the resurfacing work wouldn’t add weight to…
Minnesota’s Worst Bridges
More than 35 state and federal highway bridges in Minnesota were ranked about the same as or worse than the Interstate 35W bridge that collapsed Wednesday. The list includes only those bridges labeled "structurally deficient" and having a "sufficiency rating" of 50 percent or less, meaning the bridges need monitoring and might need to be…
Two SG&S Named 100 Most Influential Attorneys in Minnesota History
Minneapolis (August 8, 2007) – Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben is pleased to announce that James R. Schwebel and William R. Sieben have been named by Minnesota Law & Politics as two of the ‘100 Most Influential Attorneys in Minnesota History.’ The August/September issue of Minnesota Law & Politics magazine named ‘Minnesota’s Legal Hall of Fame’,…
Prominent Trial Attorney Joins SG&S
MINNEAPOLIS (May 1, 2007) – The law firm of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben announced today that prominent trial attorney, Richard J. Nygaard, formerly of Rider Bennett LLP, has joined the firm. Nygaard’s practice will focus primarily on plaintiff’s personal injury litigation. Richard Nygaard has been a trial lawyer for over 35 years and has tried…
Rollover- Causes and Types
Rollovers are complex crash incidents and are particularly violent in nature. Rollovers, more so than other types of crashes, reflect the interaction of the driver, road, vehicle, and environmental factors. So while vehicle type does play a significant role, other factors such as driver behavior and road and environmental conditions can also cause a vehicle…
Rollover: Types
Rollovers occur in one of two ways: Tripped Rollovers NHTSA data show that 95% of single-vehicle rollovers are tripped. This happens when a vehicle leaves the roadway and slides sideways, digging its tires into soft soil or striking an object such as a curb or guardrail. The high tripping force applied to the tires in…
Roof Crush
Auto Industry Lies and Recalcitrance Crush Car and SUV Owners in Rollover Crashes The current roof crush standard became effective in 1973, and has only been revised since that time for extension to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 6,000 pounds or less and to apply to vehicles with raised roofs. This weight…
Minnesota Intrastate Carrier Laws
221.031 Intrastate carrier; operating requirements, exemptions. Subdivision 1. Powers, duties, reports, limitations. (a) This subdivision applies to motor carriers engaged in intrastate commerce. (b) The commissioner shall prescribe rules for the operation of motor carriers, including their facilities; accounts; leasing of vehicles and drivers; service; safe operation of vehicles; equipment, parts, and accessories; hours of service of…
Rollover Accidents responsible for 10,000 deaths per year in U.S.
Rollover vehicle accidents account for more than 10,000 deaths in the United States in a given year, more than side and rear crashes combined. Rollovers also result in thousands of serious injuries each year. Most of these rollovers and related injuries may have been prevented by drivers and/or manufacturers of cars, trucks, vans and SUVs….
The Physics of SUV Rollover Accidents
A recent PBS FrontLine program about SUV vehicle rollover accidents amazed me that no one, in the carmakers, in the legislators, or in the researchers, seemed to understand the very basic Physics involved! When I taught High School Physics, I gave problems comparable to that to the students! This presentation will describe the physics (and…
Minimize Risk and Injury
There are many ways to minimize the risk of vehicle rollover, as well as reduce the risk of serious injury should one occur. Statistics prove that wearing a safety belt has the greatest effect on reducing the chance of fatality—occupants are 75% less likely to be killed in a rollover crash if they are wearing…
Glossary of Truck Related Terms
Axle Structural component to which wheels, brakes, and suspension is attached. Drive axles are those with powered wheels. Front axle is usually called the steer axle. Pusher axles are not powered and go ahead of drive axles. Rear axles may be drive, tag, or pusher types. Tag axles are not powered and go behind drive…