Minneapolis Car Accident Lawyer
Car Accident Lawyer Minneapolis, MN
If you’ve been hurt in a car accident in the Minneapolis area, you’re probably dealing with injuries that have caused disruption to your life, medical bills that keep piling up, and an insurance adjuster who’s working to minimize what you’re owed. Now’s the time to enlist an advocate who cares about you, your health, and your future. At Bennerotte & Associates, P.A., our team has 19 years of firm experience and a combined 161 years of legal practice representing injured Minnesotans. Contact our Minneapolis, MN car accident lawyer today for a free consultation and discover the difference we can make in your case.
Why Choose Bennerotte & Associates, P.A. For Car Accident Claims In Minneapolis, MN?
Experience With Minneapolis Car Accident Cases
Thomas R. Bennerotte has been handling car accident cases in Minnesota since 1991. Admitted in Minnesota and North Dakota, he has spent decades going up against insurance carriers on behalf of injured drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists. He knows how adjusters evaluate claims in this state, how defense attorneys approach litigation, and what it takes to build a case that holds up.
Tom is a member of the Minnesota Association for Justice and regularly lectures at legal seminars across Minnesota. As a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis, MN, he’s helped thousands of accident victims recover compensation after crashes that turned their lives upside down.
Results That Reflect Real Fights
Our attorneys have helped clients recover millions of dollars across car accident cases and other serious injury claims. Those results didn’t come from quick settlements. They came from thorough investigation, aggressive negotiation, and a willingness to go to trial when the offer on the table wasn’t fair.
Thomas Bennerotte is a Life Member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a designation earned by trial attorneys with multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements. He’s been selected for Super Lawyers multiple times and named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Attorney Wade Rabenhorst holds the AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest available for legal ability and ethics.
No Fees Unless We Win
Car accident cases at Bennerotte & Associates are handled on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing to get started. No retainer. No hourly rate. If we don’t recover compensation for you, you owe us nothing.
What Clients Say
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“From the very first phone call, I could tell I was in good hands. I felt nothing but empathy, understanding, and support for what I was dealing with after my accident and the resulting injuries. All the way up to the final meeting, communication was timely, open and honest and I was treated with respect and kindness. I am very happy with the outcome. I highly recommend Tom Bennerotte, and his Senior Paralegal Shari Anderson was nothing short of wonderful to work with.” — Billi Jo Stevenson
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Types Of Car Accident Cases We Handle In Minneapolis
We represent injured people in a wide range of car accident claims throughout Minneapolis and the surrounding metro. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
- Rear-end collisions. One of the most common crash types in Minneapolis, and one that insurers frequently try to minimize. Soft tissue injuries from rear-end impacts don’t always appear immediately. We document everything and make sure delayed symptoms don’t get used against you.
- Drunk driving accidents. When a driver gets behind the wheel impaired and causes a crash, the consequences for victims can be severe. Our attorneys have handled drunk driving accident claims and know how to pursue both compensatory and, where applicable, punitive damages.
- Distracted driving crashes. Texting while driving remains a leading cause of serious accidents in Minnesota. Proving a driver was distracted requires specific evidence — phone records, witness accounts, surveillance footage. We know what to look for and how to get it.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist accidents. When the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough to cover your losses, your own UM/UIM coverage becomes critical. We help clients understand their uninsured motorist rights and fight to maximize that recovery.
- Rideshare accidents. Crashes involving Uber and Lyft drivers come with layered insurance questions that change based on the driver’s status at the time of impact. We handle these claims and cut through the coverage disputes that rideshare companies use to delay payouts.
- Hit-and-run accidents. When a driver flees the scene, your path to compensation runs through your own insurance policy. These cases require quick action to preserve evidence and protect your claim. We move fast.
- Pedestrian accidents. Pedestrians struck by vehicles typically sustain serious injuries. We represent Minneapolis pedestrians in claims against at-fault drivers and fight for compensation that reflects the full scope of harm.
- Bicycle accidents. Cyclists hurt by negligent drivers often face pushback from insurers. We represent injured cyclists in Minneapolis and pursue every available avenue for recovery.
- Truck accidents. When a passenger vehicle collides with a commercial semi-truck, the results are often catastrophic. These claims involve federal trucking regulations, multiple potentially liable parties, and evidence like driver logs and black box data that has to be preserved quickly. We represent people hurt in truck collisions throughout Minneapolis and know what these cases require.
- Motorcycle accidents. Car drivers who fail to see or yield to motorcyclists cause some of the most serious crashes on Minneapolis roads. When a motor vehicle is at fault for a motorcycle collision, we pursue the full claim against that driver and fight back against any attempt to shift blame onto the rider.
- E-scooter accidents. Vehicles striking e-scooter riders is an increasingly common problem in Minneapolis. These collisions frequently cause serious injuries, and sorting out liability between the at-fault driver, a scooter company, or other parties requires careful analysis. We handle the legal side so injured riders can focus on recovering.
Minnesota Legal Requirements For Car Accident Claims
Minnesota has several laws that directly affect what you can recover and how your claim proceeds.
No-Fault Insurance and PIP Coverage
Minnesota is a no-fault state under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 65B. After a car accident, your own Personal Injury Protection coverage pays your initial medical bills and a portion of lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. That sounds simple, but it rarely is. Insurers dispute the extent of injuries, terminate benefits early, and challenge whether treatment is necessary.
Minnesota’s no-fault system has limits, though. When your injuries are serious enough (e.g., a permanent injury, significant scarring or disfigurement, a lasting disability, or medical bills that cross a certain dollar threshold), the law allows you to step outside the no-fault system entirely. At that point, you can file a direct claim against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering and other damages your PIP coverage was never designed to address. That’s a meaningful distinction. It’s the difference between collecting on your own policy and holding the person who caused the crash actually accountable.
Statute of Limitations
Under Minnesota Statutes Section 541.05, most car accident injury claims must be filed within two years of the date of the accident. That clock starts running whether or not you’ve finished treating, reached a settlement, or even fully understood the extent of your injuries. Miss the deadline and the claim is gone. There are limited exceptions, but don’t count on them.
Modified Comparative Fault
Minnesota Statutes Section 604.01 governs how fault is allocated when more than one party contributed to a crash. You can still recover as long as you’re not more than 50% at fault, but your recovery is reduced proportionally. If an insurer can push your share of fault to 51%, you recover nothing. This is a common tactic, and it’s one reason comparative negligence disputes need to be handled carefully from the start.
Mandatory Insurance Requirements
Minnesota requires all drivers to carry minimum liability coverage under Minnesota Statutes Section 65B.48, as well as PIP and uninsured motorist coverage. When an at-fault driver is underinsured, your own policy’s UM/UIM coverage becomes the next line of recovery. Knowing how these coverages stack and how to maximize them is something our Minneapolis car accident attorneys handle on a regular basis.
What Damages Are Recoverable In A Minneapolis Car Accident Case?
Economic Damages
Economic damages cover the financial losses your accident caused. Medical expenses are usually the largest component, as this includes emergency treatment, surgeries, imaging, physical therapy, prescription costs, and future care if your injuries are ongoing. Lost wages cover the income you missed while recovering.
If your injuries limit your ability to work going forward, lost earning capacity is part of the claim as well. Every piece of this needs to be documented, and insurers will scrutinize all of it. Having an attorney who knows how to present these losses makes a real difference in what you ultimately recover.
Non-Economic Damages
Pain and suffering. Emotional distress. Loss of enjoyment of life. The impact of a serious car accident extends far beyond medical bills and missed paychecks. Minnesota doesn’t cap non-economic damages in most car accident cases, but that doesn’t mean insurance companies will offer fair value for them voluntarily. They won’t. These damages require skilled advocacy to recover in any meaningful amount.
Punitive Damages
When a driver’s conduct was particularly reckless or egregious (e.g., a drunk driver, someone street racing, a repeat offender) Minnesota law allows for punitive damages under Minnesota Statutes Section 549.20. These aren’t available in every case, but when they are, they can substantially increase the total value of a claim and hold the at-fault party accountable beyond the cost of your injuries alone.
Contact Bennerotte & Associates, P.A.
If you were hurt in a car accident in Minneapolis or anywhere in Minnesota, we’re ready to help. Consultations are free, and we work on contingency, so you’ll owe us nothing in fees unless we win your case. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
