When a family loses one of its members suddenly and violently, they usually want answers. They want justice for themselves and for the loved one they lost. In hit-and-run accidents, grieving families are denied the answers and justice they seek, at least temporarily.
As is the case in other states, law enforcement here in Minnesota strive to locate those responsible in these types of accidents and bring the perpetrators to justice. The Minnesota State Patrol is on this quest for a 50-year-old bicycle rider recently struck by a vehicle whose driver then fled the scene. When first responders arrived at the scene on Highway 23, it was too late to save the man. He died at the scene due to the injuries he suffered in the incident.
He was hit shortly after 5:30 a.m. on that Wednesday morning while riding his bicycle. Troopers closed the stretch of roadway where the crash happened for several hours as they conducted their investigation. It was determined that witnesses may exist and are being asked to come forward with any information in order to help locate the vehicle that struck the man.
When authorities locate the vehicle and its driver, he or she will likely face criminal charges in connection with the crash and the bicycle rider’s death as would be the case in other hit-and-run accidents. In addition, the victim’s surviving family members may also file a wrongful death claim against the driver in civil court. If the evidence proves that negligence or recklessness caused or contributed to the death of their loved one, the court could award them monetary damages as allowed by law.