“Catching up: Omen in fire and rain”
After a year of sorrow and suffering, Shawnee Wair and Gary Washington were ready to create a family "for real.” ‘It’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day," relatives assured Shawnee Wair as she warily monitored Minneapolis weather reports the week before her marriage to longtime partner Gary Washington. Their outdoor wedding on…
Railroads, state face lawsuit from fatal crash
The family of an Arbog, Manitoba, Canada, man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two railroad companies and the state of Minnesota for the man’s 2005 death near Thief River Falls. The family of the late Robbie David Gordon Johnson, 21, is suing Northern Plains Railroad Inc., Canadian Pacific Railway and the state…
TRAFFIC ACCIDENT: Family to file suit
The family of a Canadian truck driver who died last year after his semi struck a moving train in Minnesota is planning to sue two railroad companies and the state for negligence. Robbie David Gordon Johnson, 21, was driving a 1994 Kenworth tractor and trailer rig Jan. 28, 2005, when he collided with a…
TRAFFIC ACCIDENT: Family to file suit
The family of a Canadian truck driver who died last year after his semi struck a moving train in Minnesota is planning to sue two railroad companies and the state for negligence. Robbie David Gordon Johnson, 21, was driving a 1994 Kenworth tractor and trailer rig Jan. 28, 2005, when he collided with a freight…
Railroads, state face lawsuit from fatal crash
The family of an Arbog, Manitoba, Canada, man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two railroad companies and the state of Minnesota for the man’s 2005 death near Thief River Falls. The family of the late Robbie David Gordon Johnson, 21, is suing Northern Plains Railroad Inc., Canadian Pacific Railway and the state…
Seven SGS Lawyers Voted Top 40 Personal Injury Attorneys
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 1, 2006) Surpassing all other law firms in Minnesota, seven of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben attorneys were designated as “Top 40 Personal Injury Lawyers ” in Minnesota, by the publishers of Law & Politics. Awardees were selected based on a survey of 16,000 attorneys in Minnesota followed by review by a blue ribbon…
The Most Recent Fatal Airline Events
The following are the most recent fatal airliner mishaps, listed with the most recent event first, from around the world. In each event, at least one passenger was killed. These events include all jet passenger flights and turboprop accidents involving models with more than 10 passengers seats and which are used in airline service in…
Southwest Minnesota School Bus Accident
Speeding may have caused an accident Tuesday involving a school bus and a small car just before 4:00 p.m. in southwest Minnesota, about three miles northeast of Pipestone. Five students from the Pipestone Area School District ranging in age from elementary school to high school were on board. Two students were taken to the hospital…
Prom night collision kills three teens in Polk County
Two teenagers driving to the prom at Fosston High School on Saturday night collided head-on with a teenager driving home from work. All three were killed and the night’s festivities were canceled. The victims were Michael Hove, 16, of Fosston, and Emily Setum, 16, of Plymouth — who were in the same car — and…
Worker is injured in trench accident
A worker with McGrath Electric Inc. in Janesville was seriously injured Wednesday following a construction accident at Watertown Memorial Hospital, according to Watertown Fire Chief Henry Butts. Maas Brothers Construction Vice President Tony Meyers, who was on the hospital grounds at the time of the accident, said the McGrath Electric worker was installing electrical conduits…
Farmer killed in farm accident
GLENVILLE – A local farmer was killed Monday when the bucket of his skid loader came down on top of him. Bruce Mittag, 65, was working between a hay field and a plowed field when the accident happened. “There doesn’t seem to be any logical reason for it to happen, but of course we don’t…
Top Verdict of the Week
Type of action: Automobile Accident Injuries Alleged: Neck and back pain, headaches Settlement: $300,000 Plaintiff’s Attorney(s): Richard L. Tousignant, Schwebel Goetz & Sieben, Minneapolis, MN Defense Attorney(s): N/A Insurance Carrier: Safeco & Kemper Court: Hennepin County District Court Case Number: Judge: Date of Disposition: 2006-04-25 00:00:00 Plaintiff’s Expert(s): Dr. Walter Galicich Defense Expert(s): N/A Summary…
“Silent Tribute”
Bicyclists around the world will take part in Ghost Rides to honor fallen riders — and call attention to a problem. By Richard Chin St. Paul Pioneer Press A solemn procession will go through Minneapolis on May 17, a silent parade of tearful people, moving at a slow pace and wearing black armbands. It…
Mixed Signals
Different times for crosswalks cause major confusion for Twin Cities pedestrians FOX 9 Investigators (KMSP) Aired: 5/7/2006 Here’s one sure- fire way to beat the high price of gasoline, walk more. But have you tried getting to the store on foot? It’s nearly impossible in some parts of the metro. Sure the streets have crossing…
Motorcyclist in bus crash dies
A 23-year-old man injured in a St. Paul motorcycle crash Thursday afternoon has died, police said this morning. His passenger, a 20-year-old woman, is in serious condition. The man, whose name hasn’t been released, collided with a school bus about 2:10 p.m. on Third Street, near Birmingham Street. No children were on the bus, whose…
Jim Schwebel Inducted in International Society of Barristers
MINNEAPOLIS, MN-March 29th– Jim Schwebel, President of the Minneapolis law firm of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, was inducted as a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers at its annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. An honor society with a membership limited to 600 outstanding trial lawyers elected by their peers, the Barristers are dedicated to…
Student Dies After Truck, School Bus Crash
6 Students Hospitalized After Accident PLAINFIELD, Wis. — One student has died of injuries suffered when a semi rammed into the back of a school bus stopped along a rural highway on Tuesday afternoon near Plainfield. David Senft, 14, died at University of Wisconsin Hospital on Wednesday night. Senft was one of 11 students…
Do you really want to be a friend of the court?
Amicus curiae really does mean “friend of the court,” appellate attorneys stressed at a recent continuing legal education (CLE) seminar. On Feb. 24, the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section presented a lunchtime CLE program addressing the proper role of amicus curiae briefs and how they are viewed by the courts. Panelists at the…
Strength to survive
Shawnee Wair and her family have spent nearly a year recovering from a fire that killed one child and badly burned another. Shawnee finds unexpected strength in her fiance’ and three sons, as new hardships — and a new baby — arrive. After the fire, Shawnee Wair blamed herself for kicking out her partner, Gary…
Practitioners respond to expansion of NIED damages
The Minnesota legal community is absorbing the potential impact of the Supreme Court’s recent expansion of the negligent infliction of emotional distress (NIED) tort. In Engler v. Illinois Insurance Co., the court held that a bystander in the “zone of danger” of physical impact may recover damages for distress caused by fearing for another’s safety…