St. Louis Injury Lawyer Blog

The man behind a Ponzi scheme that reportedly cheated senior citizens out of close to $1.9 million plead guilty this month. Lavern Huelsmann, 44, a licensed insurance agent, had convinced elderly people to invest in a "cash management account" under the company he ran, Senior Retirement Services. He then turned around and used those investments to build and decorate his Trenton home, gamble and make extravagant jewelry purchases.

Huelsmann will face sentencing on July 10 and is currently facing up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, and three years of supervised release and mandatory restitution according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Continue reading " Trenton Man Behind $1.9 Million Scam Targeting Elderly" »

An ATV accident in St. Francois County on Monday night left one dead and another injured. The Missouri Highway Patrol reports that the crash occurred around 9:45 p.m. at the intersection of Berry and Lake Timberline roads. The driver, Day Alexander, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident while his passenger, Sarah K. Barrett, 30, was found in serious condition and was air lifted to St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur.

After failing to stop at a stop sign, Alexander lost control of the 2002 Yamaha Raptor as it slid across the road. The ATV then hit a log, causing the vehicle to overturn and throwing both Alexander and Barrett off of it. The accident report did not note whether or not either passenger was wearing a helmet.

Continue reading "ATV Accident Kills Festus Man, Injures Woman" »

In 2008, 29-year-old Timothy Epperson was working for the city of Perry, MO fixing sewer lines with another city worker when the sides of the trench collapsed. His co-worker survived but Epperson was trapped under the debris and died later that night in an area hospital.

Epperson left behind three sons and a wife who would eventually file a suit against the town's superintendent on behalf of her sons. Last week, Circuit Judge Robert Clayton II awarded the family $6 million, claiming "breached duty of care" towards Epperson on the part of the town. According to the Hannibal Courier-Post, the judge also claimed that proper safety precautions were not observed on the site of the accident and that the superintendent was aware of the dangers around the trench.

Continue reading "Missouri Trench Collapse Victim's Family Awarded $6 Million" »

Last Wednesday, the family of a pedestrian who was fatally injured last year took their case to court. On September 14, 2009, 83-year-old Lionel Speidel was crossing the street when a car struck him. The car, a Pontiac Grand Am, was being driven by a 17-year-old when the accident occurred at the 3800 block of Virginia Avenue, less than a block away from the teen's home.

Investigators later learned that the teen had been under the influence of marijuana at the time of the accident and he was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Speidel later died in a nearby hospital. Recently, his daughters have taken on the driver and his family, filing a wrongful death suit seeking more than $50,000.

Continue reading "St. Louis Family Sues Over Fatally Injured Pedestrian" »

An Overland officer has been charged with one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter based on his involvement in a confrontation that left one man dead as a result of being pushed down a flight of stairs. Ken Hamilton, 49, suffered from a head injury after being pushed down a set of stairs on March 20. On March 25, Hamilton died in a St. Louis hospital after spending several days on life support.

The officer, Andrew Thomas Ringeisen, came to Hamilton's duplex after receiving a road rage complaint citing a vehicle whose description matched Hamilton's Jeep. Ringeisen and other officers arrived at the 2600 block of West Milton Avenue sometime close to 11 p.m. While the Overland Police Department is not providing details the exact sequence of events, they told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that no guns or Tasers were used during the officer's interactions with Hamilton.

Continue reading "Overland Policeman Charged After Pushing Man Down Stairs" »