NICOLLET COUNTY, MINNESOTA — A 79-year-old semi driver from Lester Prairie was killed Thursday afternoon when a pickup truck struck him as he stood next to his parked rig on the shoulder of northbound Highway 169 north of Mankato.
The Minnesota State Patrol said the crash happened around 2:25 p.m. on October 22 near milepost 58. A Peterbilt semi-trailer was parked on the right shoulder of the four-lane highway, and its driver was standing outside near the driver’s side of the cab. A Ford F-250 traveling north in the right lane hit him.
The truck driver died in the collision. Reports differ on whether he was pronounced dead at the scene or at a hospital, and the State Patrol has not released his name.
The pickup driver, 52-year-old Javier Garcia Rivera of Kaufman, Texas, was not hurt. According to the state crash report, he was not under the influence of alcohol. The semi driver and the pickup driver were the only people involved.
It is not clear whether any arrests or charges will follow. The crash remains under investigation.
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