Highwater, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Highwater: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Highwater 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 |
Cottonwood County has lower values than Minnesota for garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
The headline for Cottonwood County: 8.6 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 3.0 across Minnesota.
Overview
Police reported 136 crashes involving commercial trucks in Cottonwood County since 2015: 85 people were injured and 12 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 31 days.
With 1 truck crash reported in Highwater since 2015, this page uses Cottonwood County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
October has the most truck crashes, 11.8% of the yearly total, while July has the fewest (1.5%).
November through March accounts for 46.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
More truck crashes happen at 1–2 pm than at any other hour (12.5%).
27.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 25.6% across Minnesota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Highwater happened on US-71 (2), CR-5 (1) and US-14 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Since 2015, no garbage-truck crashes were reported for Cottonwood County.
Route planning tips for Highwater fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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) |
|---|---|
| US-71 | 2 |
| CR-5 | 1 |
| US-14 | 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 |
Highwater at a glance
| Population | 143 |
| Land area | 35.9 sq mi |
| Density | 4 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56152) | $75,536 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56152) | $129,822 |
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 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 5 to 12. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.5 a year in 2016–19 and 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Highwater
How common are truck crashes in Highwater?
Cottonwood County has had 136 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 85 people and killing 12.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Highwater?
Truck crashes in Cottonwood County peak in October, with 11.8% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Highwater?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Cottonwood County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Highwater compared with Minnesota?
Per 100,000 residents, Cottonwood County has 102.6 truck crashes a year; Minnesota has 39.0.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Highwater?
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.