Milwaukee, Wisconsin personal injury law firm representing plaintiffs in negligence, malpractice and liability cases that result in serious injuries such as brain injury, spinal cord injury, dismemberment and severe burns. In addition to taking on Big Insurance and corporations when their negligence causes injury, our attorneys are also active in the ongoing fight to preserve the rights of the injured. Contact Laufenberg and Hoefle today.

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Milwaukee Car Crash Kills 1

MILWAUKEE - One person is dead and two more were injured after an accident on Milwaukee’s north side.

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Wisconsin trucker gets 2 years in jail for deadly crash

RAWLINS, Wyo. (AP) - A judge has sentenced a Wisconsin truck driver to two years in jail for an Interstate 80 crash that killed two Rawlins residents.

Forty-8-year-old Michael Springston pleaded guilty in November to two counts of criminally negligent homicide.

For more information, follow the link below.

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COLUMN: Malpractice bill helps families

 

A widow goes into the hospital for a pacemaker procedure. During the procedure the doctor punctures the widow's aorta causing her death. May the doctor be held accountable? May the family seek justice?

Not today. Under current Wisconsin law, adult children don't have the right to seek justice if their widowed, divorced or single parent has died as a result of medical negligence.

For more information, follow the link below.

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DEA Probes Heath Ledger's Doctors

Earlier this month, authorities declared that the untimely death of Heath Ledger was caused by an accidental overdose of prescription medications. Now, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency is getting to the bottom of how, and from whom, the medications were issued.

For more information, follow the link below.

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S.C. Johnson wins $147 million

Racine - A jury has awarded $147 million in compensatory damages to S.C. Johnson & Son in a civil suit that had alleged a multiyear bribery and corruption scheme involving its former transportation director, his former deputy and several transportation companies.

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Only 66 Percent of Wisconsin Teenagers Wear Seatbelts

MILWAUKEE -- The Wisconsin State Patrol said Wisconsin teenagers are the worst in the nation when it comes to wearing their seat belts.

Teenagers from more than a dozen metro high schools had an eye-opening experience at the Greater Milwaukee Auto Show on Tuesday.

Experts said only 66 percent of teenage drivers in Wisconsin wear their seat belts.

For more information, follow the link below.

 

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Teen's accident raises Wisconsin's snowmobiling death toll to 20 this winter

A Chicago teenager who died Monday when his snowmobile crashed head-on into a truck in northern Wisconsin was a sophomore at Notre Dame College Preparatory High School for Young Men in Niles.

Joseph T. Ochocki, 16, was traveling on the rural road when he crossed the center line and collided with a 1-ton truck and plow, authorities said. Ochocki was making a turn and may not have seen the truck coming because of a 5-foot-high snowbank, said Lt. Mark Collins of the Vilas County sheriff's department.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Lax oversight favors doctors over patients

Patricia Degnan's back pain was so severe she couldn't lie in bed at night. Neurosurgeon Lawrence J. Frazin operated, but things went wrong.

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Fund faces shortfall in spite of assurances

An October raid on a state fund for injured patients has forced its managers to hit up Peter to pay Paul, borrowing tens of millions of dollars in cash — and paying interest — to meet its obligations, a state memo shows.

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Are Drunk Driving Laws Strict Enough?

The case of the West Salem man who was charged Monday with his seventh OWI is raising concerns about just how strict drunk driving laws are in Wisconsin. Last year La Crosse County saw 345 of repeat OWI offenders. Twenty-four of those were people who were being tried for their fifth offense or greater. In August of 2006, La Crosse County did start a special court for those repeat offenders. They're then put through a program which offers more intense supervision and rehabilitation. But some county officials feel more may need to be done. 

 

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Beach Park man remains critical following car accident

A Beach Park man is in critical condition following a weekend collision at Route 137 and O'Plaine Road.

James Kolle, 35, was in critical condition at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday. He was the driver of a 1996 Chrysler Town and Country that collided with a 2000 Honda Odyssey driven by Mirlan Urustemov around 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

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Study reveals no sure cause of fatal crash

The State Patrol in an extensive crash reconstruction study released today of an I-43 accident that resulted in the deaths of three Ozaukee County teenagers could not determine exactly why a 16-year driver suddenly lost control of her car, crossed under freeway median cable barrier and eventually crashed head-on into a northbound sport utility vehicle.

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Foot of snow falls on region: Milwaukee man dies in crash near Coon Valley

A deadly winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow in places in Vernon County between late Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

The snow led to numerous vehicle accidents, one with a fatality, the Vernon County Sheriff’s Department reported.

A Milwaukee man, Jerry L. Boyle, 31, died after the vehicle he was driving lost control on Hwys. 14/61 west of Coon Valley and was struck by another vehicle, Sunday morning.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Car Crashes Into Restaurant

MILWAUKEE -- Customers eating at a Milwaukee restaurant got a big surprise with their breakfast Saturday morning when a car smashed through the front door.

The crash occurred at a George Webb restaurant located at 16th and Wells streets.

"I tried to take cover," George Webb employee Alexis Landry said. "First thing I thought is that a bomb had went off, and then I saw the car halfway in the store."

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Woman struck, killed by truck

A 58-year-old South Milwaukee woman on her regular morning walk was struck and killed by a pickup truck Saturday morning as she crossed the intersection at S. 14th Ave. and Drexel Blvd.

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Wisconsinites have 1 in 99 chance of hitting a deer in 2008

If snow or ice doesn’t mangle your car, a deer might.


State Farm Insurance says Wisconsin drivers have a 1 in 99 chance of hitting a deer in the New Year.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Man Sentenced For Drunken Driving Accident That Killed Friend

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Family of doctor killed by wayward wheel sues for wrongful death

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The family of a doctor killed last month when a truck's wheel dislodged and crashed through his windshield has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Michigan trucker and his employer.

The lawsuit alleges that truck driver Carl DeSantis, 66, of North Street, Mich., failed to inspect his equipment as required under federal regulations. The suit also accuses the separate owners of the truck and trailer of negligence, and claims that a garage that inspected the truck about 30 days before the incident failed to notice the weakened wheel.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Boy, 3, and his mother still critical following accident

TOWN OF WAUPUN — One of the 3-year-old twin boys injured Thursday afternoon in a town of Waupun accident was in critical condition today while his brother has been discharged from a Milwaukee hospital.

The crash occurred when the boys’ mother, Jina Lentz-Hochstetter, 37, of DeForest, sideswiped a tree and struck another head-on off Highway 26 near Willow Creek Road at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, said Sgt. John Toney of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department.

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Former Ozaukee County Jail inmate says she will sue

PORT WASHINGTON - Saying that jail medical staff failed to diagnose her staph infection, a former Milwaukee woman has put Ozaukee County on notice that she plans to sue it for $4.2 million.

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Course offers training on popular farm equipment

GREENLEAF — Mario Castro posed for a photo next to a skid steer loader holding the certificate he earned for completing a pilot training program focused on the safe operation of that type of vehicle.


Castro, a Bellevue resident, was one of eight people who took the course offered Wednesday through a collaborative effort of the Brown and Outagamie County University of Wisconsin-Extension offices at Greenleaf Landscaping.

For more information, follow the link below.

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I-43 Tire Accident: Truck Driver's Lawyer Speaks

MILWAUKEE - Carl Desantis claims he didn't learn that his wheel had killed Dr. Neni until he stopped for gas in Indiana.

However, his lawyer told TODAY’S TMJ4’s Michael George that Desantis stopped and checked his tires just minutes after the accident.

The more we learn about this tragic accident, the more questions seem to come up.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Necedah man dies in accident Thanksgiving morning

A Necedah man died as a result of internal injuries received in a two-car accident Thanksgiving morning.

According to Juneau County Coroner Howard Fischer, 44-year-old Mark Hunter was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident on 19th Avenue, in the Town of Necedah.

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Names Released in Juneau Co. Fatal Accident

The Juneau County Sheriff's Department and Wisconsin State Patrol are investigating a fatal accident near Mauston between a car and a semi.

Lt. Robert Jasinski says deputies, emergency responders and the Mauston Fire Department were called to Highway 82 and County Road HH just after 12:30 Wednesday morning.

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Wisconsin man killed by semi in Mundelein

A 32-year-old Kenosha man was killed after being struck by a semitrailer truck about 6:10 a.m. Tuesday in Mundelein.

Mundelein police and fire departments and the Lake County coroner's office responded to a call to the parking lot of Con-way Central Express, a trucking company located at 957 Tower Road in Mundelein.

For more information, follow the link below.

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FdL woman critically injured in Sunday crash

A 58-year-old Fond du Lac woman is in critical condition following a four-vehicle crash Sunday evening at the intersection of Park Avenue and Fourth Street.

Holly Waldschmidt, 557 Rockrose Drive, was taken by Flight for Life helicopter to Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee, a hospital spokeswoman said.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Critics: ConAgra Mishandled Recall

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Critics say ConAgra Foods Inc.'s delay in recalling pot pies linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak increased the chance that more people would become sick, opened up the company to greater liability, and exposed a key weakness in the nation's food safety system: voluntary recalls.

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Church crash verdict upheld

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that a man severely injured in a 2002 auto accident will be able to collect a jury verdict from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and its insurer that has now risen to more than $23 million with interest.

Buy a link hereThe trial court verdict, which was upheld by an appeals court decision, of $17 million will stand because the high court was equally divided on the matter.

For more information, follow the link below.

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12-year-old rural Athens boy dies in farm accident

ATHENS, Wis. (AP) - A farm accident in Marathon County has taken the life of a 12-year-old boy.

Sheriff's deputies say Joshua Root was moving feed from a silo with a skid steer loader when he became trapped between the frame of the machine and 1 of the boom arms.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Brownsville woman to stand trial on charges related to fatal crash

Law enforcement officers testified Friday that a 31-year-old Brownsville woman was 5 feet over the center line and well over the legal limit for intoxication when she allegedly drove drunk and caused a crash that killed an area infant in August.


Shannon L. Baierl will face trial on felony charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle. She was ordered bound over for trial by Fond du Lac County Circuit Court Judge Richard Nuss following a preliminary hearing Friday afternoon.

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72-year-old woman hit, killed by car

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Milwaukee police say a 72-year-old woman was hit and killed by a car this morning when she stepped out between two parked cars into the street.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Janesville Police Investigate Fatal 2-Vehicle Crash

Janesville police are investigating a fatal two-vehicle crash that occurred Wednesday morning.

Police responded at 7:38 a.m. to a crash at the corner of East Milwaukee Street and North Wuthering Hills Drive.

Police said that a Cadillac traveling eastbound on East Milwaukee Street struck a Toyota Camry that had been northbound on North Wuthering Hills Drive and was turning left onto East Milwaukee Street.

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Past State FFA President Killed in Farm Mishap

The most recently retired president of the Wisconsin FFA Association has been killed in a weekend farm accident. According to the Sauk County Sheriff's Department, Matt Anderson was driving an end loader onto a trailer at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning when it rolled off onto an embankment, partially ejecting and crushing him. The incident happened in the town of Troy.

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Saturation patrols fight Labor Day speeding

Eleven law enforcement agencies will mobilize for saturation patrols tomorrow to combat speeding, aggressive driving and other dangerous actions that cause traffic crashes, the state Department of Transportation announced this week.

As part of an Interstate corridor intensified enforcement program, law enforcement officers will be patrolling areas along I-39/90 and I-94 from the Illinois border to Juneau County.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Olympic Hopeful Hit By Car While Training

MILWAUKEE – It has been one week since Olympic hopeful Jenny Crain was hit by a car while running near Brady and Farwell. Jenny’s family reports Tuesday saw small improvement in her brain’s condition. They say the next key benchmark is the operation needed for her neck and other injuries.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Elkhorn couple remains in intensive care after Friday 151 Bypass accident

An Elkhorn husband and wife, injured in a Friday night car accident along the Highway 151 Bypass at Fond du Lac, remained in the surgical intensive care unit of Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee on Sunday.


Devern Nettekoven, 78, was still listed in critical condition.


David Nettekoven, 78, was upgraded to critical, but stable, condition.


For more information, follow the link below.

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5 injured in Highway 175 crash near FdL

Five people, including a 7-month-old child, were injured in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 175 south of Fond du Lac.


The accident happened at 2:39 a.m. Friday on Highway 175 near Lost Arrow Road in the town of Byron.


Police say one of the drivers, a 30-year-old Brownsville woman, may face charges in connection with the crash in which she was injured along with four others.


For more information, follow the link below.

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Flying Saw Blades Close I-94 Near Tomah

The Interstate was closed near Tomah, Tuesday night, when a semi lost several, industrial-sized saw blades, including one which flew into a diesel tanker truck. The State Patrol says the damaged tanker truck spilled a large amount of diesel fuel on Interstate 94.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Poll: Americans dislike corporate misdeeds over frivolous lawsuits

OKLAHOMA CITY – Americans are much more concerned about corporate misdeeds than tort reform, according to a national poll conducted for the American Association for Justice, formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

Tulsa attorney Jennifer De Angelis, president of the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association, said that the Peter D. Hart Research Associates voter poll correctly reflects that people are more worried about irresponsible conduct, whether by corporations or doctors, than about lawsuits.

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Insiders try to sabotage health care reforms

Why are Republican legislators and Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle so reluctant to even discuss major changes to make health care more affordable and accessible when their constituents have cited it as one of their top priorities?

Just follow the money.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Tree Stand Manufacturer Sued for Late Reporting of Injuries to the Government

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today the filing of a lawsuit (PDF) against Ardisam Inc., of Cumberland, Wis., in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. The lawsuit alleges that Ardisam failed to report in a timely manner, as required by federal law, serious injuries with the Big Foot and Lite Foot Series hunting tree stands. In July 2004, these tree stands were the subject of a recall.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Wisconsin's drinking has become too deadly

Our community has lost another citizen to a drunk driver. Bob Melzer was my coworker at the Neenah school district. He always had a cheerful greeting for everyone as he made his early-morning rounds with the delivery truck. He loved his wife, volunteered at his church and his community and was always ready to lend a hand.

How many more do we have to lose this way? In 2005, 330 people were killed and 5,992 were injured in alcohol-related crashes in Wisconsin...

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Tips for Preventing Pool Accidents

Summer is here, and people will be heading towards swimming pools all over Wisconsin. While swimming is certainly a fun summer activity, pools can also be dangerous places. Drowning and diving accidents are real concerns, and Laufenberg & Hoefle would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the potential hazards that exist in swimming pools.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Children selling water in the streets risk injury, fines

Wearing a blue oversize T-shirt that says "Got That Water," 10-year-old DeMarco Winbush holds up two bottles of water he pulled from a cooler and calls out to motorists as he walks the median on N. 60th St. near Fond du Lac Ave.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Family copes with boy's loss of foot

Justin Ray is like any other 3-year-old boy - he likes to play outside, fiddle with key chains that light up and his ocean blue eyes sparkle when he smiles.

But Justin is different because he has to live without his left foot, which he lost in an accident in Brodhead in May.

On May 19 Justin's mother, Farrah Tracy, took her children to her father's house to visit with other family members. Her father was mowing the lawn, but took a break and Justin's father decided to give some of the children a ride on the lawn mower.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Iowa County Teen Injured In Farm Accident

DODGEVILLE, Wis. -- Iowa County sheriff's officials said that a 16-year-old boy was hospitalized with unknown injuries after a farming accident Wednesday.

Emergency crews were called to a residence on James Road, about six miles north of Dodgeville at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, WISC-TV reported.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Complaint: cognac and cocaine led to fatal crash

A young Mount Horeb woman who was allegedly responsible for the crash on Interstate 90-39 near Edgerton Wednesday evening that killed a Madison woman has a history of bad driving and was labeled a "public menace" Friday by a prosecutor who asked for high cash bail in the case.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Verveer called Samantha Young "a tremendous threat to the community," who, at age 19, was drinking booze and using cocaine before driving on the Interstate at speeds estimated by witnesses to be up to 120 miles per hour.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Deputy resigns after drunk-driving arrest

MONROE -- A Green County Sheriff's Deputy who was arrested for drunk driving and suspended following a one-vehicle accident has resigned.

Aaron Cushman, 35, submitted his resignation to Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick Friday.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Adult kids can collect for suffering when parents die, Wisconsin court says

MADISON, Wis. — Adult children whose parents die can collect damages for pain and suffering in wrongful death lawsuits, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.

Madison-based American Family Insurance had argued that only minor children could recover damages for loss of society and companionship after the death of a parent.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Analysis Associates Avandia With Greater Risk of Heart Attack

Analysis of several recent studies indicates that Avandia (rosiglitazone), a type 2 diabetes medication that's been taken by more than six million people worldwide, is associated with a 43 percent increased risk of heart attack and with a borderline-significant increased risk of heart attack-related death.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Man spared prison in fatal crash

A 19-year-old Muskego man who killed a friend and seriously injured two other people in a high speed crash in 2006 was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation that includes 10 days in jail.

Michael R. Durovy also could serve an additional 80 days in jail if he fares poorly on probation under the term he received from Waukesha County Circuit Judge J. Mac Davis. But Durovy avoided going to prison for the fatal crash as prosecutors had sought.

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Three injured in north side accident

Three people have been transported to Froedtert Hospital with injuries suffered in a two-car collision today in which one of the vehicles hit a building on the city's north side.

Milwaukee police remain on the scene in the 3500 block of N. King Drive, where the accident occurred about 11:30 a.m.

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Milwaukee Car Crash Kills 1

MILWAUKEE - One person is dead and two more were injured after an accident on Milwaukee’s north side.

A car slammed into a tree at Sherman and Congress around midnight Wednesday morning. The three victims were all conscious and breathing when they were transported from the scene by ambulance to Froedtert Hospital.

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Workers Memorial Day honors those who died on the job

.
The year was 1963. Nancy Johnson was 9 years old. She’ll never forget how the priest came to school that day to tell her that her father, Vernon Sorenson, had been

electrocuted at Trane Co., where he worked.

“When I come here, I’m still that 9-year old girl,” said the La Crosse woman, who wiped away tears Saturday morning during the 17th annual Workers Memorial Day, organized by the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO Council. “It’s neat that someone remembers,” Johnson said. “I find that very comforting.”

For more information, follow the link below.

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Family of man shot by store guard files suit

The family of Alexander Mitchell, who was shot and killed by a Walgreen's security guard, has sued the drugstore and the man convicted of first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting.

The lawsuit, filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Tuesday, seeks unspecified damages.

Security guard Sam Gwin Jr. killed Mitchell in April 2005 during a confrontation over a pair of $10 sunglasses. The lawsuit claims negligence by Gwin in Mitchell's death, and it also seeks damages from Milwaukee Security and Patrol and the Walgreen Co. for employing Gwin, who had felony convictions.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Green Bay Police Shooting Victim on Road to Recovery

This week, officers could finish their investigation into last weekend's deadly police shooting in Green Bay.

On April 21st, four officers opened fire and killed 25-year old Ben Sonnenberg.

Police say his car matched the description of a car involved in a reported disturbance.

Officers pulled Sonnenberg's car over, but when he got out of the car, police say it looked like he was reaching for a gun. They also say he started running toward Studio 720 on Bodart street.

For more information, follow the link below.

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A new way of deciding malpractice cases

A state lawmaker wants to change the way medical malpractice cases go to court. The proposal from State Representative Robin Vos (R-Racine) would create special malpractice courts in Wisconsin, where a judge and state experts would determine if a doctor caused a patient's injuries. Vos says it provides the opportunity to have neutral experts testifying in medical malpractice cases. He says the current system is too often about who can afford the best witness to testify on the stand.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Campaign raises doubts about court impartiality

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce spent $2 million on TV ads, mailings and phone calls aimed at getting Annette Ziegler — Wilcox’s successor — elected.

Ziegler, a Washington County Circuit Court judge, chalked up a decisive 58-42 percent win against Madison attorney Linda Clifford, who also got hundreds of thousands of dollars in support from labor groups, teachers’ unions and the pro-choice Planned Parenthood.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Insurer to Settle Milwaukee Bias Lawsuit

The American Family Mutual Insurance Company of Madison, Wis., has agreed to pay $14.5 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of discrimination against black people in Milwaukee.

The settlement, announced yesterday by the company, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Civil Liberties Union and the United States Justice Department, was the most costly insurance-company settlement ever for discrimination charges. It comes as the Department of Housing and Urban Development is preparing rules to make clear that the Federal Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale of homeowners insurance.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Parents sue owners of pool where boy died

Waukesha - A wrongful death lawsuit was filed Tuesday against a Waukesha couple concerning the drowning of a 5-year-old boy in their pool in 2004.

William Fabian and Brenda Wandschneider, the parents of the boy, Tyler Fabian, filed the lawsuit in Waukesha County Circuit Court against Raymond and Judith Hatch. The boy died Oct. 23, 2004, after gaining access to the pool by passing through a gate with a latch that had been improperly installed on the outside of the gate, according to the lawsuit.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Drunk Driver Kills Woman, Man Injured

WITI-TV, MILWAUKEE COUNTY -- A Thiensville man is caught somewhere between anger and grief after a suspected drunk driver killed his mother.

Saturday evening sheriff's deputies say 57-year-old Emiliyal Verbitskaya and her husband were driving back from Chicago when a car hit their minivan. Both weren't wearing their seat belts and were ejected when their vehicle flipped on I-43.

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Roadside Safety: 10 tips you can't hear often enough

Yesterday, a New York state trooper, inside his cruiser at an accident site, was slammed by an oncoming car. On Saturday, a Wisconsin officer was injured when his squad car was struck from behind during a traffic stop. Last Friday, an Ohio state trooper and a sheriff's deputy were struck by a car while investigating a crash at a suburban intersection.

News reports of officers being struck by passing vehicles during roadside activities (traffic stops, accident reconstruction, motorist assistance, etc.) seem non-stop.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Why have so many tort reform advocates filed lawsuits?

The Center for Justice and Democracy has an interesting list of some influential tort reform advocates who have no problem with filing lawsuits themselves, but view the practice as dangerous to business, capitalism and democracy when someone else attempts the same thing.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Is there really a medical malpractice "crisis?"

For the past decade, there has been a palpable sense of fear in the air among medical professionals.

Doctors are terrified of malpractice lawsuits, so much so to the point that some of them are actually refusing to do certain aspects of their jobs.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Committee OKs settlement in death

A Milwaukee Common Council committee voted today to pay $30,000 to settle a federal lawsuit involving the 2003 cocaine-related death of Felix Hopgood while in police custody.

The settlement, which goes to the full council Feb. 27, does not admit negligence on the part of the city. A memo from the city attorney's office notes that it could cost more than $30,000 to defend the city if the matter were to go to trial.

Hopgood, a 38-year-old Milwaukee resident, had been arrested July 23, 2003 on suspicion of loitering and theft. He collapsed in the prisoner processing section of the Police Administration Building. The lawsuit was filed in March of 2005 by Hopgood's family, alleging negligence by police in the responding to the situation.

Hopgood died in the emergency room at Sinai Samaritan Medical Center. The Milwaukee County medical examiner's report blamed the death on heart failure caused by cocaine toxicity.

The council's Judiciary and Legislation Committee voted unanimously for the settlement.

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Drunken Driver Sentenced in Three Deaths

MILWAUKEE - The drunken driver who caused a crash that killed three people and critically injured a third is going to prison. Joshua Scolman was sentenced Friday to 51 and a half years in prison for the crime.

Scolman, who had been drinking at an Applebee's restaurant earlier in the evening, was westbound on W. Capitol Drive last October when he went through a red light at W. Appleton Ave. and struck a car.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Mother, wife of May crash victims sues driver

CEDARBURG - The Cedarburg woman whose husband and teenage son were killed in a traffic accident in Wisconsin Dells last year is suing the driver believed to have caused the crash.
Ann Rintelman, the only survivor of the crash that also killed another teenage boy, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Friday in Adams County Circuit Court. Nine others were also named in the suit, including several insurance companies and the driver of a third vehicle that was involved in the accident. Killed were Rintelman’s husband, Don, her son, Brian and Brian’s friend Thomas "T.J." Beck.

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Wrongful death lawsuit alleges that police chase was unnecessary

The family of an 80-year-old Whitefish Bay man killed in 2004 by a motorist fleeing police has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against four municipalities and two counties whose officers and deputies were involved in the pursuit.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Bernice Fagan in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, maintains that the police departments involved in the chase failed to consider whether the severity of the crime made it necessary to pursue the motorist at high speeds.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Jefferson County Farmer Dies in Corn Bin Accident

The reality of how dangerous the farming industry can be unfortunately hit home on a Jefferson County farm Thursday morning.

Captain Jeffrey Parker with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said two people were unloading a grain bin full of corn kernels, but a malfunction occurred.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Construction Worker Falls Ill After Inhaling Substance

MILWAUKEE - A construction worker at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital, near Prospect and North, fell ill while doing construction two stories in the air.

For more details, follow the link below.

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Hospital Infections: Deadly Serious

Hospital Infections are causing an estimated 100,000 deaths a year. What are hospitals doing about it?

Nothing.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Having trouble contacting the claims department of an insurance company? Click here?

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Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers Name Lynn Laufenberg as 2006 Trial Lawyer of the Year

The Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers has named Lynn Laufenberf as Trial Lawyer of the Year for 2006.

For mor details, follow the link below.

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Wisconsin Woman Dies in Farm Accident in Upper Michigan

MENOMINEE TOWNSHIP, Mich. A 23-year-old Wisconsin woman is dead following a farm accident near Menominee in the Upper Peninsula.

State police say Margarita Vidal-Soriano was kicked in the head while milking a cow last night. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

For the whole story, follow the details below.

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Off-duty Crash Claims Wisconsin Fire Lieutenant, Wife

Madison Fire Department Lt. K-Tal Johnson, 42, and his wife, Shelly, were killed Friday in a traffic accident in Indiana.

Their son Ian, 13, was a passenger in the car. He survived with minor injuries.

Johnson was hired by the fire department in 1991; he became a paramedic in 1992, serving in that capacity until 1999.

In 2003, Johnson was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Station 1 on West Dayton Street. Johnson was a rescue diver and member of the technical rescue team.

For more details, follow the link below.

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Laufenbergs Named Super Lawyers

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Crash near Union Grove downed power lines

A farmer may or may not have been shocked following a run-in with a guy wire supporting a We Energies utility pole near the intersection of highways A and 45.

The farmer was reportedly plowing a field when his equipment struck the guy wire, pulling it free from some of its moorings. The wire is not electrified. A semi truck then came down the road and struck the loose guy wire, sending it flying. It is possible that the wire flipped up and struck a live wire, collecting electricity, before it came back down and hit the farmer.

For more details, follow the link below.

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Five Wisconsin Citizens Miraculously Survive Car Accident

Five men in their twenties survived an accident where the car they were in flipped and rolled five times.

None of them were wearing their seatbelts.

For more details, follow the link below.

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Two Serious Accidents at One Intersection Causes Inquiry

(Greater Milwaukee Today) In the days following two serious head-on collisions at a town of Erin intersection, officials are looking into the cause.

"Once the crash scene investigations and reconstructions are completed, then we’ll talk (with the Highway Department) and see if there’s something we can do," said Sheriff Brian Rahn.

Please follow the link below for more details.

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Indiana Man Wins $20 Million Verdict v. Allstate

A jury on Thursday decided that Ted K. Fields was in bad hands with Allstate and awarded the Valparaiso man $20 million.

Fields' attorney, Kenneth J. Allen, said the jury's decision supports his contention that Allstate acted in bad faith against its customers, and he hopes the verdict sends a message to Allstate and other insurers to treat their customers fairly.

For the whole story, follow the link below.

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Kentucky Man Wins $700,000 Car Accident Verdict

A jury awarded a Campbellsville man more than $700,000 Wednesday night for damages he suffered after losing his son in a 1995 collision that killed five.
Harlon Barnett, individually, and as administrator of the estate of Steven Ray Barnett, filed suit against Hamilton Mutual Insurance Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio and Caulk and Eastridge Insurance Co. of East Broadway in Campbellsville in Taylor Circuit Court on Jan. 4, 2000
For the whole story, follow the link below.

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Lynn Laufenberg Secures Settlement in Police Shooting Case

Lynn Laufenberg has secured a $90,000 settlement which will benefit a scholarship fund established by the mother of a Milwaukee man who was shot by a police officer during an attempted traffic stop. For more
details, please follow the link below.

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Laptop Computer Battery Recalls Will Cost Sony Millions

The recent safety recall of lithium ion batteries used in computers made by Dell, Apple and Panasonic will essentially wipe out 25% of this years profit.

For more information, follow the link below.

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Keeping Your Kids Safe Over The Summer

Summertime in Wisconsin means increased outdoor activity for your kids. The Law Firm of Laufenberg and Hoefle are proud to present a series of suggestions to help you keep your kids avoid accidents during the summer months.

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Melanoma Misdiagnosis: A Tragic and Common Mistake

Melanoma is one of the more difficult forms of cancer to recognize. Because of this, doctors are required to run screening tests on any mole or skin growth that appears abnormal. Failure to do so is considered negligence, and is grounds for a malpractice suit. For more information, follow the link below.

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New Federal Privacy Law Poorly Enforced

A 2003 Federal Law designed to protect the privacy and medical records of patients is rarely enforced, according to an article in the Washington Post.

Since its inception, 19,420 Grievances have been filed under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, yet no fines have been collected.

To read the rest of the story, follow the link below.

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Justice Is Served: Enron Executives Found Guilty

CTV.ca News Staff
Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former chief executive Jeffrey Skilling were found guilty Thursday in one of the biggest corporate scandals in U.S. history.
Lay was convicted on all six counts against him, including conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, and faces up to 45 years in prison.
Skilling was found guilty of 19 out of 28 counts of conspiracy, fraud, insider trading and making false statements. Combined, these carry a maximum sentence of 185 years. He was not convicted on the remaining nine criminal counts.

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FDA Advisory Panels Have Conflicts of Interest

A study released by the Public Citizen’s Health Research Group found that nearly a third of the experts on the Food and Drug Administration’s Advisory Panels had financial interests in drug companies.

The FDA is not required to go along with the decisions of the panels, but they usually do.

For the entire story, follow the link below.

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Disetronic Medical Systems Announces Insulin Pump Recall

Fishers, IN -- April 3, 2006 -- Disetronic Medical Systems, Inc, (Disetronic) of Fishers, Ind. announced today a voluntary nationwide recall of all ACCU-CHEK™ Ultraflex Infusion Sets, because of a potential that tubing could fully or partially separate at the luer lock-tubing connection. In the event that a full or partial separation occurs, it is possible that insulin could leak from the infusion set tubing causing an interruption of insulin delivery, which can cause hyperglycemia.

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Medical Malpractice "Crisis" Officially Over

A study released by Americans for Insurance Reform shows that malpractice rates have remained flat across all 50 states, including those that have not enacted caps on punitive damages.

For the whole story, click the link below.

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: In JS article, Lynn Laufenberg Downplays Panic of Spikes in Medical Malpractice Cases

Madison - Statutes of limitations for malpractice cases in Wisconsin don't fully address injuries to developmentally disabled children, so a teenager who was injured at birth should still be allowed to sue his health care providers, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.

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Struggling With Your Workers Compensation Claim? Click here to find out how we can help.

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Learn more about On-the-Job Illness Claims

Laufenberg & Hoefle represents injured construction workers and factory workers who are suffering from occupational illnesses. A recently (1993) discovered disease known as Manganism afflicts welders, miners, steel workers, railroad workers and others who must protect themselves from toxic inhalation on the job. If you or a family member is suffering from Manganism in Wisconsin, contact Lynn Laufenberg today.

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Read about the evidence against Merck & Co.

As pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. battles lawsuits related to recalled arthritis pain medication Vioxx, testimony about Merck's efforts to shield the drug from expert scrutiny has surfaced during trial. Read about Merck's "enemies lists" and the tactics it used to keep the dissension at bay.

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Vioxx: Consumer Notes

The verdict in the Vioxx case is a clear example of how our civil justice system works to protect our rights as American citizens, allowing ordinary Americans to hold even the largest and wealthiest corporations accountable when they put their bottom line before the health and safety of the public.

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Read juror quotes from the Texas Vioxx Trial

This page provides quotes from the Texan jurors following the August, 2005 Vioxx case that illustrate what they hoped the high award, which included $229 million in punitive damages, would accomplish.

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Threats to Judicial Independence in Wisconsin

In the wake of three recent Supreme Court decisions, Wisconsin medical, business and insurance interests have embarked upon a public relations campaign decrying the allegedly negative impact these decisions will have on Wisconsin’s business and medical climate. Attorney Lynn Laufenberg offers commentary on the impact this campaign could have on Wisconsin's judiciary.

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A Message from Lynn Laufenberg

Support People Over Profits!


As a lawyer, I take pride in my job. I consider it an honor to help people get the justice they deserve by holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions.

But today, doing my job is getting harder. Powerful forces are working to limit your right to seek justice when you are harmed through no fault of your own.

Please join me in an effort to protest this attack on your rights by sending a message to People Over Profits.

In just three simple steps your message will be on its way to Washington.

Ford and Firestone knew the Explorer had a problem…but they put profits over people and kept it a secret for almost ten years.

Asbestos manufacturers – such as Halliburton – huge insurance companies and the federal government knew that workers and their families were being killed by asbestos, but they kept it a secret for decades.

Linda McDougal in Wisconsin lost both breasts because two doctors and a technician read the wrong test results…and now doctors and insurance companies want to take away her right, and the rights of all patients, to hold accountable those who cause them harm.

Powerful corporate interests say they need protection from people like you and me – even when they are responsible for injuring – or even killing – people like you and me!

And they’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying Congress to avoid being held accountable!

But you can fight back.

Tell Congress to stand up for regular Americans, not corporate interests, and preserve the American right to trial by jury.

To learn all about this assault on your rights, go to http://www.peopleoverprofits.org/

Act now – don’t let them take your rights away!

Sincerely,

Lynn R. Laufenberg

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