Great Bend, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Great Bend: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Great Bend and Cottonwood County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cottonwood County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 136 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Cottonwood County compares with Minnesota
Cottonwood County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cottonwood County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Cottonwood County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 102.6 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 2.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 8.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.9× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.60 | 0.37 | 0.49 | 1.6× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 27.3% | 25.6% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 18.0% | 27.0% | 23.7% | 33% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.6% | 19.1% | 13.8% | 18% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.1% | 46.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 25.0% | 20.3% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Compared with Minnesota, Cottonwood County is lower on garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
The headline for Cottonwood County: 8.6 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 3.0 in Minnesota.
Overview
Since 2015, 136 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Cottonwood County. They injured 85 people and killed 12.
That averages about one truck crash every 31 days in fully reported years.
Only 4 truck crashes were reported in Great Bend since 2015; patterns below come from Cottonwood County as a whole.
When crashes happen
October has the most truck crashes, 11.8% of the yearly total, while July has the fewest (1.5%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 46.1% of truck crashes, vs 46.2% for Minnesota.
By time of day, 1–2 pm stands out with 12.5% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 27.3% of truck crashes, compared with 25.6% in Minnesota.
Where crashes happen
SR-62 leads within 10 miles of Great Bend with 2 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by CR-2 520Th Ave (1), CR-4 450Th Ave (1) and CR-5 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
No crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Cottonwood County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Great Bend fleets
- Build extra time into October routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use SR-62, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Cottonwood County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-62 | 2 |
| CR-2 520Th Ave | 1 |
| CR-4 450Th Ave | 1 |
| CR-5 | 1 |
| SR-60 | 1 |
| US-71 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cottonwood County) |
|---|---|
| Mnth 60 | 50 |
| Usth 71 | 18 |
| Mnth 30 | 6 |
| Mnth 62 | 5 |
| Hwy | 5 |
| Csah 1 | 5 |
| Csah 5 | 4 |
| 16Th St | 2 |
Great Bend at a glance
| Population | 303 |
| Land area | 31.1 sq mi |
| Density | 10 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56101) | $77,083 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56101) | $186,096 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cottonwood County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 8 | +66% | 0.2 |
| 2010s | 11 | +30% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 12 | +6% | 1.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 5 a year in the 1990s and 12 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 0.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Great Bend
How common are truck crashes in Great Bend?
Since 2015, 136 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Cottonwood County (85 injured, 12 killed).
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Great Bend?
NHTSA data shows SR-62 with 2 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Great Bend since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Great Bend?
The worst month is October: 11.8% of truck crashes in Cottonwood County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Great Bend?
Since 2015, Cottonwood County has reported 0 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.0% of its truck crashes.
How does Great Bend compare with Minnesota for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 102.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Cottonwood County, vs 39.0 for Minnesota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Great Bend?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.