A five-year-old Rochester girl died and three members of her family were injured after their SUV collided with a Peterbilt semi-truck north of Rochester, Minnesota, on September 2, 2026. According to the Minnesota State Patrol crash record, the crash happened at about 5:16 p.m. on U.S. Highway 63 at milepost 44 in Oronoco Township, Olmsted County.
The child, Emmric Kehoe, was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital Saint Marys, where she died from her injuries. Her mother, Brittany Marie Kehoe, 34, suffered life-threatening injuries. Jordan Scott Kehoe, 34, and one-year-old Eaghan Kehoe suffered injuries that the State Patrol described as non-life-threatening. The semi driver, 43-year-old Justin Charles Tentis of Elgin, was not injured. KROC News reported the identifications and injury classifications on September 4.
The State Patrol says that the Mazda CX-5 was traveling west and the Peterbilt semi was traveling east when the vehicles collided. The agency lists the road as dry, reports that everyone involved was restrained, and says alcohol was not suspected.
What We Know About the Rochester Highway 63 Crash
| Fact | Current information |
| Date and time | September 2, 2026, about 5:16 p.m. |
| Location | U.S. Highway 63 at milepost 44, Oronoco Township, Olmsted County, north of Rochester. |
| Vehicles | 2000 Peterbilt semi and 2020 Mazda CX-5. |
| Fatality | Emmric Kehoe, age 5, Rochester. |
| Life-threatening injury | Brittany Marie Kehoe, age 34, Rochester. |
| Other injuries | Jordan Scott Kehoe, 34, and Eaghan Kehoe, 1, both described as non-life-threatening. |
| Semi driver | Justin Charles Tentis, 43, Elgin, Minnesota; no reported injury. |
| Road condition | Dry. |
| Alcohol | Not suspected by the State Patrol. |
| Fault | Not publicly determined in the State Patrol record reviewed September 4, 2026. |
| Motor carrier | Not publicly identified in the sources reviewed for this article. |
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What Has the Minnesota State Patrol Said About How the Crash Happened?
The current State Patrol incident report gives a limited description: the Mazda was westbound on Highway 63 and the Peterbilt semi was eastbound when they collided. The report does not say which vehicle entered the other vehicle’s path or identify speeding, distraction, impairment, mechanical failure, or another cause.
Because the cause has not been publicly established, it would be premature to say that the semi driver, the Mazda driver, a trucking company, a roadway condition, or a mechanical issue was responsible. A complete crash reconstruction may require physical evidence, vehicle data, photographs, witness statements, roadway measurements, video, and records that are not included in the public incident summary.
The crash record also says the roadway was dry, all occupants were using restraints, and alcohol was not suspected. Those facts answer some immediate questions, but they do not determine why the vehicles collided.
Why the Trucking Company Has Not Been Named Yet
The State Patrol identifies the truck as a 2000 Peterbilt semi but does not identify a motor carrier, trucking company, trailer owner, cargo owner, or other commercial entity. Local reporting reviewed for this article likewise does not provide a carrier name.
A tractor can be owned by one company and operated by another, and a trailer or cargo can involve additional businesses. The identity of the motor carrier can often be established through the full crash report, vehicle markings, registration records, federal motor-carrier records, insurance disclosures, bills of lading, or other evidence. Until that information is confirmed, it should not be guessed.
What Evidence Can Help Determine Responsibility in a Semi-Truck Crash?
In a serious commercial-vehicle collision, the most important evidence often goes beyond the short public crash summary. Depending on the facts, investigators may examine:
- the full Minnesota State Patrol crash report and reconstruction materials;
- event data recorder or engine control module information from the vehicles, when available;
- dash-camera, nearby business, traffic, or residential video;
- cell-phone and electronic-device records when legally obtainable and relevant;
- driver qualification, training, medical, and hours-of-service records;
- inspection, maintenance, brake, steering, tire, and repair records;
- motor-carrier safety records and the relationship among the tractor, trailer, cargo, driver, and carrier;
- roadway geometry, lane markings, sight distance, construction conditions, and traffic-control information;
- witness statements and photographs from the scene.
Pritzker Hageman’s semi-truck accident practice page explains why commercial-truck cases can involve evidence and entities that are not obvious from the first police summary. That does not mean any of those factors caused this Rochester crash. It means investigators need the evidence before reaching conclusions.
A Fatal Truck Crash Does Not Automatically Mean the Truck Driver Was at Fault
Commercial trucks can cause devastating harm when a truck driver or company is negligent, but the presence of a semi-truck alone does not establish negligence. Minnesota negligence claims require evidence connecting a person or company’s conduct to the injuries or death. If the evidence ultimately shows that the semi driver and carrier did nothing wrong, a claim against them may not be viable.
The opposite is also true. If later evidence shows that a commercial driver, motor carrier, maintenance provider, equipment manufacturer, or another party caused or contributed to the crash, the first brief public report may not contain the facts needed to understand that responsibility. Serious cases often develop as reconstruction work and records collection continue.
What Happens When a Child Dies in a Minnesota Traffic Crash?
Minnesota has specific procedures for wrongful-death claims. A wrongful-death claim depends on proof that another person or entity’s wrongful act or omission caused the death. The fact of a death, by itself, does not establish that another party is legally responsible.
When a family is dealing with both a death and serious injuries in the same crash, the legal and insurance questions can become more complicated. Different family members may have different claims, medical needs, damages, and deadlines. Evidence also can disappear or be overwritten, particularly electronic and video evidence, which is one reason early preservation can matter when there is a plausible third-party liability theory.
What Should Families Do After a Serious Semi-Truck Crash?
The immediate priority is medical care and family needs. Once those needs are being addressed, people trying to understand a serious truck collision may want to preserve information that could later matter. Practical steps can include:
- keeping medical records, discharge instructions, bills, and follow-up information;
- saving photographs, videos, messages, and location information related to the trip or crash;
- preserving damaged personal property when appropriate and safe;
- keeping insurance and claim communications;
- avoiding speculation about fault on social media while the investigation is incomplete;
- obtaining the complete crash report and monitoring the investigation for updates;
- seeking legal advice promptly if the injuries are severe and there is a reasonable basis to investigate a truck driver, carrier, maintenance company, product manufacturer, or other third party.
For Minnesota commercial-truck cases, Pritzker Hageman also maintains a Minnesota truck accident lawyer resource addressing evidence, insurance, serious injuries, and wrongful-death issues.
What Is Still Unknown About the September 2 Crash?
As of September 4, the public record leaves several important questions unanswered:
- What was the precise point of impact and lane position of each vehicle?
- What sequence of events caused the vehicles to collide?
- Did speed, distraction, visibility, roadway design, or a mechanical issue contribute?
- What company or motor carrier was operating the Peterbilt, if any?
- Was the truck carrying a trailer or cargo, and who owned or controlled them?
- Will the State Patrol issue citations or release a more detailed reconstruction?
- Will the reported injury conditions change as more information becomes public?
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Pritzker Hageman Is Monitoring the Rochester Semi Crash
Pritzker Hageman is monitoring public information about the September 2 crash. Our attorneys handle serious commercial-truck injury and wrongful-death cases in Minnesota, but whether there is a claim in this incident will depend on what the evidence ultimately shows about responsibility.
If you or a family member was seriously injured in a Minnesota commercial-truck crash and you have questions about preserving evidence or identifying potentially responsible parties, you can contact Pritzker Hageman for a free case review. There is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Rochester Semi Crash
The Minnesota State Patrol lists the location as U.S. Highway 63 at milepost 44 in Oronoco Township, Olmsted County, north of Rochester.
Five-year-old Emmric Kehoe of Rochester died from injuries suffered in the collision, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Brittany Marie Kehoe, 34, suffered life-threatening injuries. Jordan Scott Kehoe, 34, and one-year-old Eaghan Kehoe suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the State Patrol.
The State Patrol identifies the semi driver as 43-year-old Justin Charles Tentis of Elgin, Minnesota. The public crash record reviewed September 4 reports no injury to him.
No. The public incident record says the Mazda and Peterbilt were traveling in opposite directions and collided, but it does not publicly assign fault or describe which vehicle entered the other vehicle’s path.
The Minnesota State Patrol lists alcohol as not suspected for the people identified in its crash record.
As of September 4th, 2026 the identify a motor carrier or trucking company has not been released.
Commercial-truck cases can involve electronic vehicle data, video, driver records, inspection and maintenance records, carrier records, and other evidence that may be important to reconstructing what happened. Whether those materials are relevant depends on the facts of the particular crash.
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