Drunk Driving Settlement Attorneys In Minneapolis, Minnesota

In 2003, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC, announced that the No. 1 unintentional cause of death among individuals ages 1-64 was motor vehicle traffic accidents. According to the National Traffic Safety Administration and The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2006: Minnesota had 493 deaths from automobile crashes, and 31% of those involved a driver who was legally intoxicated or drunk.

In Minnesota a driver is legally intoxicated or drunk when:

• The person is 21 or older and driving a non-commercial vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .08% or higher.
• The person is 21 or older and driving a commercial vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .04% or higher.
• The person is under 21 and there is physical evidence of consumption present in the person’s body.
• Minnesota Statutes Chapter 169A.

Minnesota allows a judge or jury to consider punitive damages, or in other words, to punish the impaired driver if there is evidence that the accident was caused by a driver who either:

• Had an alcohol content of .08% or higher
• Was under the influence of a controlled substance
• Was under the influence of alcohol and refused to take a chemical test for intoxication

Minnesota Statute 169A.76 (a) (1), (2), (3).