Large Lawsuit Filed in Fatal Olmsted County Wreck

Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - A large wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in Olmsted County Court that’s related to a traffic wreck that ultimately claimed the life of a Hayfield man.

The lawsuit is seeking damages from Fernbrook Family Center, Inc. and Nicole Vanderhoof.

The 25-year-old Rochester woman was driving near the Rochester airport on Feb. 21 last year when she ran a stop sign and collided with another vehicle. Vanderhoof and a 4-year-old girl in her vehicle were treated for non-life threatening injuries. But the other driver - 70-year-old Larry Meyers of Hayfield - was seriously hurt and never recovered. He died in a nursing home eight months later.

The lawsuit seeks nearly $2.4-million to cover medical expenses and more than $50,000 in punitive damages.

The suit says Vanderhoof was employed by Fernbrook at the time and the girl she was transporting was a client of the Owatonna-based company.

The lawsuit was filed Jan 31, two weeks after Vanderhoof pleaded guilty to careless driving. She was placed on probation for one year, given a 30 day jail sentence and ordered to pay $385 in fines and fees.