Minneapolis ATV and Snowmobile Accident Attorney

Minneapolis ATV and Snowmobile Accident Lawyer

Minneapolis-area outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the thrill of riding ATVs and snowmobiles. But their off-road adventures can come to a quick and tragic end if someone’s careless or reckless actions cause an accident.

If you suffered severe injuries in an ATV or snowmobile accident in the greater Twin Cities area, you may have the right to seek compensation from the at-fault party. Contact the skilled attorneys at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation.

Minneapolis ATV Accidents

Minnesota all-terrain vehicle (ATV) operators must go through safety training and then must follow important rules and regulations to stay safe when riding. Far too often, however, an ATV operator ignores training and rules by speeding or engaging in other dangerous behavior, putting others at risk of serious harm.

ATVs are unstable and hard to control, which may make them susceptible to rolling over on top of their operators and passengers. Most ATVs weigh 600 pounds and can travel up to 65 miles per hour. The risks of severe injury become even greater still when children ride ATVs without appropriate training or safety precautions.

No one should experience a life-altering injury because of someone else’s carelessness or recklessness while maintaining or operating an ATV. Nicolet Accident and Injury Lawyers can help victims of preventable ATV accidents fight for the compensation they need to pay for their medical care and other injury-related expenses.

Minneapolis Snowmobile Accidents

With more than 22,000 miles of snowmobile trails, Minnesota is a dreamland for those who enjoy riding off-road in the wintertime. But, whether you use your snow machine for adventuring or work, severe accidents can happen that forever change your life.

Like ATV riders, snowmobile riders in Minnesota must obtain safety certification and must follow safety rules on the trail. Failure to observe basic safety protocols can lead to serious accidents and life-altering injuries.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 60 percent of snowmobile accidents in our state involve alcohol use.

Alcohol impairs snowmobile operators by negatively impacting:

• Thinking and reasoning
• Muscle coordination
• Judgment of speed and distance

With top speeds possible of up to 120 mph, snowmobiles can become a dangerous weapon when operated by an impaired driver. At virtually any speed, however, the impact of a snowmobile crash can throw a rider or passenger and result in catastrophic injuries.

If you sustain injuries in a Minneapolis-area snowmobile accident caused by someone else’s careless, reckless, or intentional misconduct, or because of a mechanical defect on a snowmobile, you deserve justice and compensation. Contact the experienced snowmobile accident injury lawyers at Nicolet Accident & Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to learn about your rights and options.

Have You Suffered Any of these ATV or Snowmobile Accident Injuries?

An ATV or snowmobile accident in and around Minneapolis can inflict a wide range of severe injuries. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we represent victims of those accidents in legal actions seeking compensation for the harm they have suffered.

Over our years of personal injury law practice, we have acquired extensive knowledge about a broad array of injuries and how they may affect an individual’s life, finances, and relationships.

Our team can help an ATV or snowmobile accident victim secure compensation for:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which frequently occur when riders (especially unhelmeted ones) get thrown from an ATV or snowmobile in a crash, or when their machine rolls over on top of them. We fight to get TBI victims the money they need to support them on their long and often-unpredictable road to recovery.
• Spinal cord injuries (SCIs), also a common result of a rider being thrown from or pinned under a heavy ATV or snowmobile. Our team understands the potentially massive costs our clients living with SCIs face, and we work diligently to hold the parties at fault for their injuries financially accountable.
• Severe lacerations and puncture wounds, which can occur when an ATV or snowmobile accident in the wilderness throws a rider against tree branches, exposed rocks, and other natural hazards. Victims of these injuries sometimes carry the scars with them for the rest of their days, and we work to make sure they receive appropriate compensation for their lasting trauma.
• Broken bones and orthopedic injuries, which are more or less a “sure thing” in rollover ATV or snowmobile accidents, especially. These injuries might heal if cared for properly, but our team understands that they still inflict physical and financial pain for which our clients deserve to receive money damages.
• Internal injuries and organ damages, another unfortunately common consequence of violent collisions involving ATVs or snowmobiles. Our clients who suffer these injuries frequently face lifelong health complications that limit their everyday activities; we fight to get them paid for those severe inconveniences and disabilities.

These are just some of the injuries you may suffer in a Minneapolis-area ATV or snowmobile accident, of course. Riders have few physical protections to keep them injury-free in a crash, which means they face risks of a potentially limitless variety of traumas.

No matter what kind of injury you suffered on an ATV or snowmobile, the team at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers wants to help. Contact us today to learn about how we can put our vast experience pursuing compensation for injuries to work for you.

Liability for ATV and Snowmobile Accidents

As we mentioned earlier, many ATV and snowmobile accidents in the Minneapolis area occur because of the careless or reckless actions of a rider. In those circumstances, under Minnesota law, the at-fault rider will typically owe money damages to the innocent victims of his or her misconduct.

But at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we also recognize that sometimes parties other than the at-fault rider share or deserve most of the blame for a devastating ATV or snowmobile crash. Our team carefully investigates the facts and circumstances of every case we handle to make sure that any legal action we take on our clients’ behalf seeks to hold the full range of at-fault parties accountable.

Other parties who could owe money damages to our clients in a Minneapolis ATV or snowmobile accident might include, for example:

• Manufacturers of ATV or snowmobile equipment, if their products incorporate dangerous defects that contribute to the cause of an accident;
• ATV or snowmobile rental companies, if they fail to maintain their machines in safe working condition;
• Outdoor guides and backcountry outfitters, if they put their clients in unreasonably dangerous situations on ATVs or snowmobiles; or
• Private landowners who offer access to snowmobile or ATV trails to visitors (especially if they charge a fee), if they fail to build and maintain reasonably safe trails.

The range of parties who may owe damages to victims of a Minneapolis ATV or snowmobile accident, in other words, can reach well beyond the at-fault operator. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we work to identify all parties who may owe compensation to our clients, so that our clients have the best possible shot at securing maximum compensation for their injuries and losses.

Types of Compensation Possible for ATV and Snowmobile Accidents

At Nicolet Accident and Injury Lawyers, our core mission is to secure compensation for Minnesotans who suffer injuries because of someone else’s carelessness or misconduct. Every ATV and snowmobile accident case we handle has unique aspects that affect the type and amount of compensation our client might receive.

But in general, through our diligent efforts, we can often secure payment for:

• Medical expenses relating to the treatment of our clients’ ATV and snowmobile accident injuries, including costs associated with wilderness rescues, air ambulance transport, emergency care, surgeries, and medications.
• Long-term medical costs, including reasonably predictable future expenses, resulting from the trauma our clients sustained, such as for ongoing therapy and rehabilitation, expected health complications, and other medical challenges ahead.
• Income that an ATV or snowmobile accident does not earn because their injuries cause them to miss work while healing or adapting to their injury.
• Loss of future earnings, when the injury inflicted by an ATV or snowmobile accident causes a long-term or permanent disability that will interfere with the victim’s ability to earn income or pursue employment opportunities in the future.
• Out-of-pocket expenses that an ATV or snowmobile accident victim would not have had, were it not for the crash and their injuries, such as costs associated with hiring help with daily activities (e.g., transportation, childcare) or of replacing damaged property.
• Pain, suffering, and other non-financial life challenges that an ATV or snowmobile accident injury causes in our client’s life, including harm to personal or intimate relationships, loss of enjoyment of life, and mental health struggles.

In some cases, our team can also secure a court award of punitive damages to our client. These damages are available in Minnesota when the evidence shows that the party at fault for an ATV or snowmobile accident acted with deliberate disregard for the rights and safety of our client.

Fatal Minneapolis ATV and Snowmobile Accidents

Sometimes, an ATV or snowmobile accident in Minneapolis results in the tragic death of a rider, passenger, or bystander. In those circumstances, the deceased victim’s surviving spouse or next of kin may have the right to take legal action for wrongful death.

Under Minnesota law, a wrongful death action enables grieving family members to seek damages for their pecuniary losses resulting from a tragic ATV or snowmobile accident.

These may include:

• Funeral expenses and burial costs
• Medical costs incurred for the injury before death
• The loss of the victim’s wages and future earnings
• Loss of inheritance
• Loss of the financial value of the victim’s services in a family

No amount of compensation can replace the void left by the loss of a loved one in a tragic Minneapolis ATV or snowmobile accident. The funds potentially available through a wrongful death action can, however, supply the crucial financial support the victim’s surviving family members need as they rebuild from tragedy.

Why You Should Contact an Attorney Today About Your ATV or Snowmobile Accident

The aftermath of an ATV or snowmobile accident, particularly if it causes serious injuries, can make life feel overwhelming. You may not think of calling a lawyer as a priority.

But it should be. The sooner you contact an experienced ATV and snowmobile accident lawyer in Minneapolis, the better your chances of securing the financial compensation you need to pay for your medical care, replace your lost wages, and help you confront the challenges your injuries have created.

Hiring a skilled lawyer also protects you from aggressive insurance adjusters who may try to pressure you into agreeing to settle your claim for less money than you deserve. An attorney can step in and interact with insurance companies on your behalf, negotiating the best possible settlement if one is available, and enforcing your rights in court if not.

Finally, seeking legal help right away protects you against missing important deadlines. Under Minnesota law, you typically have six years, and sometimes less, to take legal action seeking compensation for your injuries in an ATV or snowmobile accident. Missing a filing deadline for your case can result in the loss of your valuable rights.

Contact Nicolet Accident and Injury Lawyers Today

Getting hurt in an ATV or snowmobile accident can cause serious pain, disruption, and expense in your life. If someone else’s misconduct contributed to the cause of your accident, you should not have to bear the burden of your injuries and losses on your own. Minnesota law may entitle you to substantial amounts of financial compensation, and an experienced attorney can help you get it.

As personal injury and wrongful death attorneys, the team at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers fights day-in, day-out on behalf of Minnesotans hurt in preventable accidents. We are a client and community-centered firm that puts a premium on providing personalized service and getting top-dollar results in ATV and snowmobile accident cases.

Contact us today online or by phone at (612) 446-3999 for a free consultation with a member of our team.

Minneapolis Office
43 SE Main St
Suite 500
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: (612) 446-3999