Unbelted Driver Dies After Crash with Semi in Rochester
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A 48-year-old man died after a crash involving a van and a semi-truck on a Rochester highway Thursday night, officials say.
The crash happened around 9:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, along northbound Highway 63 near 80th Street Southeast in Olmsted County.
The Minnesota State Patrol says a 2015 Freightliner Cascadia semi and a 2024 Chevy Express van were both traveling northbound on Highway 63 when the vehicles made contact near 80th Street Southeast. Emergency crews arriving at the scene found the van driver trapped and firefighters worked to extricate him from the vehicle.
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Paramedics initially requested a medical helicopter, but it was later canceled and the driver was taken by ambulance to a trauma center where he later died from his injuries.
Authorities say the van driver, a 48-year-old man from Stewartville, was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The State Patrol said his identity will be released around 4 p.m. Friday pending family notification. It’s unclear as of publication if there were any indications of intoxication for the van driver, and further details are expected from the State Patrol. Investigators say airbags deployed in the van during the crash.
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The semi driver, a 55-year-old man from Grand Meadow, Minn., was wearing a seat belt and was not injured.
The State Patrol reported road conditions were wet at the time of the crash. Northbound lanes of Highway 63 were closed for several hours while troopers investigated the crash and cleared the scene.
The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, Rochester Police Department, Rochester Fire Department, Stewartville Fire Department and Mayo Ambulance assisted at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
