18-Wheeler Accident Attorneys in Scott County, Minnesota

When 80,000 Pounds Changes Everything

The I-35 corridor cuts right through Scott County, carrying thousands of commercial trucks daily between the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota. When one of those 80,000-pound rigs loses control on icy pavement or blows a tire crossing the Minnesota River, the results are catastrophic. If you’re reading this because a truck accident turned your life upside down in Scott County, you need more than just a lawyer—you need a fighter who knows exactly how to hold trucking companies accountable.

Ralph Manginello has spent over 25 years taking on the largest trucking corporations in America. Since 1998, he’s been the managing partner at Attorney911, building a reputation for aggressive representation that insurance companies fear. Our firm has recovered over $50 million for families devastated by catastrophic injuries, including multi-million dollar settlements for traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and wrongful death cases.

But here’s what makes us different from other personal injury firms: Our associate attorney Lupe Peña used to work for insurance companies. He spent years defending trucking carriers against injury claims. Now he sits on your side of the table, using his insider knowledge of how insurers minimize payouts to maximize your recovery. That’s your advantage when you call 1-888-ATTY-911.

Why 18-Wheeler Cases Are Different in Scott County

The Physics Can’t Be Ignored

Your car weighs around 4,000 pounds. A fully loaded semi weighs 80,000 pounds. That’s not just heavier—that’s 20 times the mass slamming into you at highway speeds.

On I-35 through Scott County, trucks travel at 65-70 mph. At those speeds, a loaded semi needs nearly 525 feet to stop—that’s two football fields. When a trucker falls asleep at the wheel or his brakes fail on the downgrade approaching the Minnesota River Valley, he literally cannot stop in time to avoid crushing your vehicle.

The laws of physics don’t care about ” Minnesota Nice.” They care about mass, velocity, and stopping distance. And when those forces meet your family vehicle, the results are devastating.

Federal Regulations Create Liability

Every commercial truck operating in Scott County must follow Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations under Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. These aren’t suggestions—they’re federal law. When trucking companies violate these rules, they endanger everyone on Minnesota roads.

Critical Regulations We Investigate:

49 CFR Part 391 (Driver Qualifications): Trucking companies must verify a driver’s Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), medical certification, and three-year driving history before letting them haul freight through Scott County. We subpoena these Driver Qualification Files in every case. Missing documentation proves negligent hiring.

49 CFR Part 392 (Driving Rules): This section prohibits operating while fatigued (§392.3), texting while driving (§392.80), and following too closely (§392.11). We download Electronic Logging Device (ELD) data to prove violations.

49 CFR Part 393 (Vehicle Safety): Brake systems must meet strict specifications (§393.40-55). Cargo must be secured to withstand 0.8g forward deceleration (§393.100-136). Worn brakes or improperly tied-down loads kill people on Minnesota highways.

49 CFR Part 395 (Hours of Service): Drivers can drive maximum 11 hours after 10 hours off duty. They cannot drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour on duty. Fatigued driving causes approximately 31% of fatal truck crashes.

49 CFR Part 396 (Inspection & Maintenance): Pre-trip inspections are mandatory. Maintenance records must be kept for 14 months. Deferred maintenance saves trucking companies money—until it costs lives.

Types of Truck Accidents We Handle in Scott County

Minnesota’s brutal winters create unique dangers for 18-wheeler operations. Here are the accident types we see most frequently in Scott County and across the state:

Jackknife Accidents

When a truck driver hits his brakes too hard on icy I-35 or the curve near Jordan, the trailer swings out perpendicular to the cab, creating a 70-foot metal wall across traffic lanes. Jackknives often result in multi-car pileups because there’s simply no room to avoid the swinging trailer.

Jackknife accidents frequently involve violations of 49 CFR §393.48 (brake system malfunction) or §393.100 (improper cargo securement). Empty trailers are particularly prone to jackknifing because they lack the weight to maintain traction.

Underride Collisions

Underrides occur when a car slides under the trailer’s side or rear. The trailer height often shears off the car’s roof at windshield level, causing decapitation or catastrophic head trauma.

While 49 CFR §393.86 requires rear impact guards on trailers manufactured after 1998, these guards often fail in crashes above 35 mph. Side underride guards aren’t federally mandated yet, though advocacy groups are pushing for change. When a truck makes a wide turn across Highway 169 in Scott County and a vehicle slides underneath, the results are almost always fatal.

Rollover Accidents

Minnesota’s terrain might seem flat, but the river valleys and highway ramps create rollover risks. Rollovers happen when:

• Drivers take curves too fast (often violating §392.6)
• Cargo shifts during transport (violating §393.100-136)
• Liquid loads slosh and change the center of gravity
• Drivers overcorrect after a tire blowout

A rollover on I-35 near Shakopee can crush vehicles in adjacent lanes and spill cargo across all lanes of traffic, creating secondary accidents.

Rear-End Collisions

A fully loaded truck needs 40% more stopping distance than a passenger car. When a distracted trucker follows too closely on Highway 13 through Scott County and traffic suddenly stops, he can’t prevent a devastating rear-end collision.

These cases often involve violations of §392.11 (following too close) and §392.82 (cell phone use). We subpoena cell phone records to prove distracted driving.

Tire Blowouts

Minnesota’s extreme temperature swings—summer heat causing tire expansion followed by winter cold creating contraction—contribute to tire failures. When a steer tire blows at 65 mph, the driver often loses control immediately.

FMCSA requires minimum tread depth of 4/32″ on steer tires and 2/32″ on other positions (§393.75). We inspect maintenance records to determine if trucking companies ignored worn tires to save money.

Brake Failure Accidents

Brake problems factor into approximately 29% of large truck crashes. Long descents on Minnesota highways followed by stop-and-go traffic create brake fade conditions.

Trucking companies must maintain brake adjustment within specifications (§393.40-55) and conduct systematic inspections (§396.3). When they fail to do so, we use maintenance records to prove negligence.

Who Can Be Held Responsible

Unlike simple car accidents, 18-wheeler crashes involve multiple potentially liable parties. We investigate every possible source of recovery:

The Truck Driver: Direct negligence for speeding, distracted driving, fatigue, or impairment. We review their driving record, ELD logs, and drug test results.

The Trucking Company: Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, employers are liable for their drivers’ actions. Plus they face direct liability for negligent hiring, training, supervision, and maintenance. Many carriers operating in Scott County carry $1-5 million in insurance coverage.

The Cargo Owner/Shipper: Companies loading trucks at distribution centers in the Twin Cities metro area may be liable if they provided improper loading instructions, required overweight loading, or failed to disclose hazardous materials.

The Loading Company: Third-party loaders who physically secure cargo may be liable for improper securement under §393.100-136. Shifting loads cause rollovers and jackknifes.

Truck/Trailer Manufacturers: Defective brakes, steering systems, or underride guards that fail prematurely can support product liability claims against manufacturers.

Parts Manufacturers: Defective tires or brake components from specific manufacturers can create strict liability claims.

Maintenance Companies: Third-party mechanics who performed negligent repairs or failed to identify critical safety issues may be liable for resulting accidents.

Freight Brokers: Brokers who arrange transportation but don’t own the trucks may be liable for negligent selection of carriers with poor safety records or inadequate insurance.

Government Entities: The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) or Scott County road authorities may bear responsibility for dangerous road design, inadequate signage, or failure to address known hazards like ice-prone bridges.

The 48-Hour Evidence Crisis

Here’s what trucking companies don’t want you to know: Evidence disappears fast. Really fast.

Critical Timelines:

• ECM/Black Box Data: Overwrites within 30 days
• ELD Records: May be retained for only 6 months
• Dashcam Footage: Often deleted within 7-14 days
• Surveillance Video: Business cameras typically overwrite in 7-30 days
• Witness Memory: Fades significantly within weeks

That’s why we send spoliation letters within 24 hours of being retained. A spoliation letter puts the trucking company on legal notice that they must preserve all evidence. If they destroy evidence after receiving our letter, courts can:

• Instruct juries to assume destroyed evidence was unfavorable
• Impose monetary sanctions
• Enter default judgment in extreme cases

What We Preserve:
We demand immediate preservation of ELD data, ECM downloads, Driver Qualification Files, maintenance records, dispatch logs, cell phone records, dashcam footage, GPS data, and the physical truck itself. Our team moves just as fast as the trucking company’s rapid-response investigators.

Minnesota Law: What You Need to Know

Statute of Limitations

In Minnesota, you have 2 years from the date of your trucking accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. For wrongful death claims, you have 3 years from the date of death. Miss these deadlines and you lose your right to recover forever—no matter how serious your injuries or how clear the truck driver’s fault.

Comparative Negligence

Minnesota follows a modified comparative negligence rule (51% bar). You can recover damages as long as you’re not more than 50% at fault for the accident. However, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault.

This matters because trucking insurance adjusters will try to shift blame onto you. They’ll claim you were speeding, following too close, or failed to yield. Our job is to gather evidence—the ECM data, witness statements, and accident reconstruction—that proves the truck driver was primarily responsible.

No Caps on Damages

Unlike some states, Minnesota does not cap compensatory damages for pain and suffering in trucking accident cases. And there’s no statutory cap on punitive damages either. When trucking companies act with gross negligence—like knowingly keeping a dangerous driver on the road or falsifying maintenance records—they can be hit with massive punitive awards.

Catastrophic Injuries and Their Impact

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The force of a truck collision often causes the brain to strike the inside of the skull, causing bruising, bleeding, or shearing of neural connections. Moderate to severe TBI cases we handle have settled for between $1.5 million and $9.8 million, depending on the extent of cognitive impairment and need for lifelong care.

Symptoms include memory loss, personality changes, difficulty concentrating, chronic headaches, and mood disorders. Many TBI victims require vocational rehabilitation and can never return to their previous employment.

Spinal Cord Injury

The impact forces in truck accidents frequently damage the spinal cord, resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia. These cases often settle between $4.7 million and $25.8 million due to the massive lifetime costs of medical care, home modifications, and lost earning capacity.

Victims often need wheelchairs, respiratory assistance, and 24-hour attendant care. The emotional toll—loss of independence, chronic pain, and depression—adds to the physical devastation.

Amputation

When an 18-wheeler crushes a vehicle, occupants sometimes face traumatic amputation at the scene or surgical amputation later due to irreparable damage. Our amputation cases have resulted in settlements between $1.9 million and $8.6 million.

Prosthetics require frequent replacement ($5,000-$50,000 each), and phantom limb pain affects many amputees for years. Loss of manual dexterity or mobility often ends careers and requires complete lifestyle changes.

Wrongful Death

When a trucking accident kills a loved one, Minnesota law allows surviving family members to recover:

• Lost future income and benefits
• Loss of consortium (companionship, guidance, support)
• Mental anguish and emotional distress
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Medical expenses incurred prior to death
• Punitive damages (if gross negligence is proven)

We’ve recovered between $1.9 million and $9.5 million for families who lost loved ones to negligent trucking operations.

Insurance Coverage and “Nuclear Verdicts”

Federal law requires trucking companies to carry minimum liability insurance:

• $750,000 for non-hazardous freight
• $1,000,000 for oil and large equipment transport
• $5,000,000 for hazardous materials

Many carriers operating through Scott County carry $1-5 million in coverage, with excess policies providing additional layers.

The trucking industry is experiencing a trend of “nuclear verdicts”—jury awards exceeding $10 million. Recent examples include a $462 million verdict in Missouri for an underride decapitation and a $160 million verdict in Alabama for a rollover causing quadriplegia. While every case is different, trucking companies know juries are holding them increasingly accountable for safety violations.

As client Glenda Walker told us after her case settled, “They fought for me to get every dime I deserved.” That’s our commitment to every client.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to file a lawsuit after a truck accident in Scott County?

Minnesota gives you 2 years from the accident date for personal injury claims, 3 years for wrongful death. But don’t wait. Evidence disappears quickly in trucking cases. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 immediately.

What if I was partially at fault for the accident?

Under Minnesota law, you can recover damages as long as you’re 50% or less at fault. Your percentage of fault reduces your recovery, so if you’re entitled to $100,000 but found 20% at fault, you’d receive $80,000. We work to minimize any attributed fault by gathering objective evidence like ECM data.

How much is my case worth?

Trucking cases vary widely based on injury severity, medical costs, lost earnings, and the degree of negligence. However, trucking companies carry far more insurance than individual drivers—typically $750,000 to $5 million. Our firm has recovered settlements ranging from hundreds of thousands to multi-millions for serious injuries.

Do I really need a lawyer, or can I handle this myself?

You absolutely need a lawyer. Trucking companies have teams of attorneys and rapid-response investigators who begin protecting their interests within hours. They have insurance adjusters trained to minimize your claim. Without an attorney who knows FMCSA regulations and trucking law, you’re bringing a knife to a gunfight. As client Chad Harris said, “You are NOT just some client… You are FAMILY to them.” That’s the level of dedication you need.

Will my case go to trial?

Most cases settle before trial, but we prepare every case as if it’s going to trial. Insurance companies know which firms are willing to take cases to verdict—and they offer better settlements to those firms. With 25+ years of trial experience and federal court admission, Attorney911 has the credibility to force fair settlements.

How much does it cost to hire you?

Nothing upfront. We work on contingency—33.33% if settled pre-trial, 40% if we go to trial. You pay nothing unless we win. We advance all investigation costs, including expert witnesses and accident reconstruction. You never receive a bill.

Hablamos Español?

Sí. Associate attorney Lupe Peña is fluent in Spanish and provides direct representation without interpreters. Many truck drivers and warehouse workers in the Scott County area speak Spanish as their primary language. Llame al 1-888-ATTY-911 para una consulta gratuita en español.

What makes Attorney911 different from other firms?

Three things: First, Ralph Manginello’s 25+ years of experience specifically in trucking litigation, including federal court admission. Second, Lupe Peña’s insider knowledge from working insurance defense—we know their playbook. Third, our track record: over $50 million recovered, including multi-million dollar settlements in TBI, amputation, and wrongful death cases. Plus, our 4.9-star Google rating from over 251 reviews shows how we treat clients.

What if the trucking company is from out of state?

We handle that regularly. Trucks from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and across the country travel through Scott County on I-35. We have the jurisdictional knowledge and federal court experience to pursue out-of-state carriers. The FMCSA regulations apply nationwide, so violations are violations regardless of where the trucking company is headquartered.

How long will my case take?

Simple cases may resolve in 6-12 months. Complex cases with catastrophic injuries or multiple defendants can take 1-3 years. We balance the need for thorough investigation with your need for resolution. As client Angel Walle noted, “They solved in a couple of months what others did nothing about in two years.”

The Attorney911 Difference

When an 18-wheeler changes your life in Scott County, you need more than a billboard attorney who settles cases cheap and fast. You need a firm with:

• 25+ years of trucking litigation experience
• Federal court admission to handle complex jurisdictional issues
• Former insurance defense attorney on staff (Lupe Peña)
• Multi-million dollar results in TBI, spinal cord, amputation, and wrongful death cases
• 24/7 availability because truck accidents don’t happen on business hours
• Offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont serving Minnesota clients remotely with local knowledge
• 4.9-star rating from over 251 client reviews

We don’t just take cases—we fight for families. As client Ernest Cano said, “Mr. Manginello and his firm are first class. Will fight tooth and nail for you.”

Free Consultation: Call 1-888-ATTY-911 Today

If you or a loved one was injured in an 18-wheeler accident in Scott County, Minnesota, the clock is already ticking. Evidence is disappearing. The trucking company is already building their defense. You need someone fighting for you immediately.

Call Attorney911 at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911) for a free, confidential consultation. We’ll review your case, explain your rights under Minnesota law, and start protecting evidence today. You pay nothing unless we win.

Don’t let the trucking company push you around. Push back with Attorney911.

Hablamos Español. Llame hoy al 1-888-ATTY-911.

Attorney911 serves trucking accident victims throughout Scott County, Minnesota, including the communities of Shakopee, Savage, Prior Lake, Jordan, Belle Plaine, New Prague, and Elko New Market. We handle cases involving accidents on I-35, Highway 169, Highway 13, and all state and county roads in the region.