Mountain Lake, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Mountain Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Mountain Lake 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 sits below Minnesota on garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above Minnesota on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
Cottonwood County at a glance: 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.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 31 days.
Only 24 truck crashes were reported in Mountain Lake 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%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 46.1% of truck crashes, against 46.2% across Minnesota.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 12.5% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 27.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Minnesota: 25.6%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Mountain Lake happened on CR-2 520Th Ave (1), SR-30 (1), SR-60 (1) and US-71 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
FMCSA lists no garbage-truck crashes in Cottonwood County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Mountain Lake fleets
- Plan October schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Cottonwood County.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
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) |
|---|---|
| CR-2 520Th Ave | 1 |
| SR-30 | 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 |
Mountain Lake at a glance
| Population | 1,944 |
| Land area | 1.6 sq mi |
| Density | 1,192 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56159) | $71,648 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56159) | $161,148 |
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 |
In the 1990s about 5 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 12. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. 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 Mountain Lake
How common are truck crashes in Mountain Lake?
Since 2015, 136 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Cottonwood County (85 injured, 12 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Mountain Lake?
October has the most truck crashes in Cottonwood County, 11.8% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Mountain Lake?
Since 2015, Cottonwood County has reported 0 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.0% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Mountain Lake compare with Minnesota?
The yearly rate is 102.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Cottonwood County, vs 39.0 for Minnesota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Mountain Lake?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.