As summer yields to fall across Minnesota, the state’s roads carry a wide variety of vehicles, ranging from the usual mix of automobiles and trucks to seasonal vehicles such as farm harvest equipment. A recent collision of an ATV with a boat trailer in Mille Lacs County demonstrates how this mixing of vehicles can become hazardous.
The collision
According to the Minnesota Highway Patrol, a pickup was towing a boat trailer on Highway 27. An ATV carrying two people was traveling east on an intersecting street when the driver of the ATV failed to obey the stop sign at Highway 27. The ATV collided with the truck-boat combination.
The ATV driver was taken by ambulance to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the pickup truck was taken to Mille Lacs Health System hospital in Onamia for treatment of injuries that were also deemed not to be life-threatening. The passenger on the ATV was not injured.
Damages
The major share of fault in this accident is likely to be allocated to the driver of the ATV because he failed to obey a stop sign. The driver of the truck will have a solid claim for the majority of his damages against the ATV driver. The ATV driver is likely to be assessed a majority of fault in the collision, and such an allocation would have the effect of eliminating any claim for damages against the truck driver.
Anyone who suffers an injury or loses a loved one in a similar accident may wish to consult an experienced accident attorney for advice on seeking damages. A knowledgeable lawyer can provide an evaluation of the evidence, suggest legal arguments to support a claim for damages and provide an estimate of the likelihood of recovering damages for medical expenses, lost income and pain and suffering.
