Wood Lake, NE truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Wood Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Wood Lake and Cherry County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cherry County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 58 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Cherry County compares with Nebraska
Cherry County against Nebraska and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cherry County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Cherry County | Nebraska | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 90.0 | 60.7 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.8 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 62% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.47 | 0.57 | 0.49 | 18% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 27.3% | 16.7% | 6.2% | 1.6× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 12.7% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 43% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 21.8% | 20.4% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.0% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 49.1% | 24.5% | 24.8% | 2.0× the state |
Cherry County has lower values than Nebraska for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and after dark.
The headline for Cherry County: 49.1% share of truck crashes after dark (Nebraska: 24.5%).
Overview
Police reported 58 crashes involving commercial trucks in Cherry County since 2015: 26 people were injured and 1 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 73 days.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Wood Lake since 2015, this page uses Cherry County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
74% of truck crash reports in Cherry County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is June with 13.8% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 3.4%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 40.0% of truck crashes, vs 42.7% for Nebraska.
More truck crashes happen at 11 am–12 pm than at any other hour (12.7%).
27.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 16.7% across Nebraska.
Where crashes happen
NHTSA lists no located fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Wood Lake since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
Since 2015, no garbage-truck crashes were reported for Cherry County.
Route planning tips for Wood Lake fleets
- Review driver schedules for June, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 27.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Nebraska; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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 Cherry County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cherry County) |
|---|---|
| US-20 | 8 |
| U.S. Highway 20 | 4 |
| 020 /200.070/Us20 N Of Schlagel Creek Rd-Se Of V | 2 |
| 020 /208.930/Us20 Nw Of Arabia Dr-Nw Of Wood Lak | 2 |
| US-83 | 2 |
| 020 /127.200/Us20 Sw Of Wiley Dr-Sw Of Merriman | 1 |
| 020 /127.940/Us20 Sw Of Wiley Dr-Sw Of Merriman | 1 |
| 020 /130.600/Us20 Ne Of Wiley Dr-Sw Of Merriman | 1 |
Wood Lake at a glance
| Population | 50 |
| Land area | 0.3 sq mi |
| Density | 158 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 69221) | $53,438 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cherry 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 | 4 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 4 | +6% | 0.1 |
| 2010s | 6 | +32% | 0.2 |
| 2020s | 4 | -25% | 0.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 4 to 4. 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 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Wood Lake
How common are truck crashes in Wood Lake?
Since 2015, 58 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Cherry County (26 injured, 1 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Wood Lake?
June has the most truck crashes in Cherry County, 13.8% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Wood Lake?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Cherry County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
How does Wood Lake compare with Nebraska for truck crashes?
Per 100,000 residents, Cherry County has 90.0 truck crashes a year; Nebraska has 60.7.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Wood Lake?
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.