Sartell Man Dead After Being Hit by Car While Riding His Bicycle

STEARNS COUNTY - A Sartell man is dead after he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle.

The incident happened at 6:20 p.m. Tuesday on County Road 2, south of County Road 4 in St. Wendel Township, near St. Joseph. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says 51-year-old John Seiler was riding his bike northbound on the east shoulder, when he was hit from behind by a car.

He was thrown from the bike into the ditch and was pronounced dead at the scene. Rescuers attempted to revive him with CPR, but were unsuccessful.

Chief Sheriff's Deputy Bruce Bechtold says Seiler was an avid cyclist and "was doing nothing wrong and got clipped."

He says Seiler was wearing a helmet and was riding on a "very wide" shoulder when he was struck by a car driven by driven by 73-year-old Judy Post of Pasadena, California.

Witnesses say that Post's car drifted onto the shoulder before hitting Seiler. Authorities are trying to determine why the car left its lane.

Bechtold says there is no suspicion Post had been drinking.

The crash is being reconstructed and investigated by the Minnesota State Patrol. St. Joseph Rescue and Gold Cross Ambulance assisted at the scene.

The Associated Press help contribute to this story.