Steele County jury sides with Owatonna teen hit by car in e-scooter crosswalk case after three-day trial



OWATONNA, MN, September 16, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A Steele County jury rendered a verdict of $1.9 million in favor of a teenager who was struck by a car while riding an e-scooter through an Owatonna crosswalk. The decision came Friday afternoon after a three-day trial before Judge Karen Duncan.

The teen, represented by Nicolet Law attorneys Lindsay Lien and Nicholas Angel, sustained a severe kneecap fracture that required multiple surgeries. She is expected to experience lifelong knee pain and endure future surgery.

The verdict came after more than two years of liability denials by the driver's insurer, State Farm. At trial, defense attorneys argued that the teen was at fault for using the crosswalk instead of traveling with vehicular traffic on a roadway witnesses described as "very busy."

Lead trial counsel Lindsay Lien thanked the jurors for their consideration. "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, thanked the teen's family for hiring the firm to handle her case. "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."

Leading personal injury law firm Nicolet Law has more than 30 attorneys across the Midwestern states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The firm represents those seriously harmed by motor vehicle collisions, product failures, fires and explosions, and other acts of negligence resulting in serious injury.

Read the original story here: https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/538716/nicolet-law-secures-19-million-jury-verdict-for-teen-injured-in-owatonna-crosswalk

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