Minneapolis Personal Injury Law Blog

In many states, residents are able to search a website to find information on doctors. Information on claims of medical malpractice and previous criminal convictions are included with education and specialty. This information provides patients with the knowledge to make educated decisions on their physicians. Unfortunately, Minnesota is not one of these states and the lack of disclosure is putting patients in jeopardy.

According to recent reporting the Star Tribune, the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice does not include this important information on the state's website. A federal nonprofit group has urged all states to include information such as criminal convictions, disciplinary actions and malpractice histories on a website. There are currently 19 states that provide this information to their residents. While the board in Minnesota does track information on disciplinary reports, the information is not made readily available to residents.

Minnesotans who work or live in downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul frequently see the window washers dangling down the side of a building. The washers hang from a roof, periodically lowering themselves on cables to better reach the outside windows on the buildings. Just the idea of hanging high above the street like that can be quite scary for some. Recent investigations into training and equipment, however, provided some a different kind of scare.

There have been three deaths of window washers in the past three years. According to the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration, these wrongful deaths could have been prevented with proper training and safety procedures.

Last month, we posted about the young boy who was hit by a car in the parking lot of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. The boy was crossing the street on his way to welcome his father home, who had been serving in Iraq. As he crossed the street, the young boy was run over by a speeding car.

Investigations were pending, as were the results of a toxicology report, in order to determine the cause of the reckless driving. When the accident was first reported, details regarding the state of the driver were sparse. It is now known that the driver has officially been charged with drunk driving.

Many Minnesotans enjoy the hunting season. However, an enjoyable outing with family and friends can quickly turn tragic in the event of an accident. According to reports, the wrongful death of a 19-year-old man is under investigation by the Renville County Sheriff's Office. It is unknown if the fatal hunting accident was the result of negligent or reckless behavior or not.

The young man was amongst a group of hunters who were hunting geese together. During the trip, one of the hunter's guns discharged accidentally and shot the victim. A 911 call reporting that someone had been shot accidentally in a hunting party was called into the Renville County Sheriff's Office shortly after. Police responded to the call immediately.