Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
September 16, 2026
Jury Awards $1.9M to Teen Struck by Car While Riding E-Scooter
TLDR
- Nicolet Law secured a $1.9 million verdict for a teen injured by a car while using a crosswalk, overcoming State Farm's liability denials after two years.
- A jury found the driver liable after a three-day trial, awarding $1.9 million for a kneecap fracture requiring multiple surgeries and causing lifelong pain.
- This verdict provides justice for a teen whose life was altered by a driver's negligence, ensuring she receives compensation for future medical needs and suffering.
- A teenager on an e-scooter struck in a crosswalk won $1.9 million from a jury, despite the defense arguing she should have ridden on the busy road.
Impact - Why it Matters
This verdict sends a powerful message that insurers cannot indefinitely deny liability when clear evidence of negligence exists. For victims of motor vehicle accidents, it reinforces the importance of persevering through lengthy legal battles to obtain fair compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and future care. The case also highlights the risks faced by e-scooter riders in crosswalks and the need for drivers to exercise caution. By holding State Farm accountable, the jury affirms that injured individuals have the right to seek justice, even when faced with aggressive defense tactics that attempt to shift blame onto the victim. This outcome may encourage other injury victims to pursue their claims and remind corporations that they must answer for their actions in court.
Summary
A Steele County jury in Minnesota has awarded $1.9 million to a teenager who was struck by a car while riding an e-scooter through an Owatonna crosswalk. The verdict, delivered Friday afternoon after a three-day trial before Judge Karen Duncan, comes after more than two years of liability denials by the driver's insurer, State Farm. The teen, represented by Nicolet Law attorneys Lindsay Lien and Nicholas Angel, sustained a severe kneecap fracture requiring multiple surgeries, and she is expected to suffer lifelong knee pain and need future surgery.
During the trial, defense attorneys argued that the teen was at fault for using the crosswalk instead of riding with vehicular traffic on a roadway witnesses described as 'very busy.' Lead trial counsel Lindsay Lien thanked the jurors, stating, 'We asked the members of the jury not for sympathy, but simply to give the client back what had been taken from her—and we are glad they listened to her story.' Nicolet Law President Russell Nicolet also expressed gratitude to the teen's family for trusting the firm, adding, 'This is what we're about. We deliver Midwest Justice to people that deserve it. We believed in the case, and we're glad the jury got it right.'
Nicolet Law is a leading personal injury firm with more than 30 attorneys across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The firm represents individuals seriously harmed by motor vehicle collisions, product failures, fires and explosions, and other acts of negligence resulting in serious injury. This verdict underscores the firm's commitment to holding negligent parties accountable and securing justice for injured victims.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content distributed by 24-7 Press Release. Read the original source here, Jury Awards $1.9M to Teen Struck by Car While Riding E-Scooter
