Roy Berger Killed in Semi-Truck and Motorcycle Accident on Highway 371 in Cass County, Minnesota

SHINGOBEE TOWNSHIP, Minnesota — A 30-year-old motorcyclist was killed Thursday afternoon in a collision involving a semi-truck on Highway 371 in Cass County.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a semi-truck was traveling southbound when the driver suddenly maneuvered onto the right shoulder toward the motorcycle. The motorcycle then struck a cable barrier, and the rear of the semi-truck ran over the motorcyclist.

The motorcyclist, identified as Roy Berger, 30, of Vadnais Heights, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said Berger was wearing a helmet.

Family Deserves Answers After Fatal Motorcycle and Semi-Truck Crash

A sudden maneuver from an 18-wheeler can change everything on the road. This is especially true for motorcyclists who have little protection when something goes wrong and have only seconds to react.

In this instance on Highway 371, we still do not know what went wrong. Why did the truck driver make that sudden maneuver? Did he check his mirrors and blind spots before moving toward the shoulder? Did he see Mr. Berger before making the move?

The answers to these questions can reveal deeper failures involving both the truck driver and the trucking company. Was the driver properly trained? Did he have a history of unsafe driving or prior violations? If so, did the trucking company know about them and take appropriate action? Was the company properly supervising and monitoring its driver?

These are details that may never be found in the initial police report. That is why surviving families deserve an investigation that goes beyond the police report to uncover not only what happened in the moments before a fatal crash, but whether earlier failures contributed to it.

Families who lose their loved ones in this manner are left grieving—and with questions. Mr. Berger’s surviving family deserves answers. Answers as to what went wrong and whether this incident was entirely preventable and a deeper failure happened along the way.

My hope is for these answers to come to light.

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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in auto and truck accidents that result in serious injury or death.

Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author.