Sheriff: Man fatally run over by Wright Co. deputy was on ground prior to crash
Harry Welter was struck and killed on Thursday in St. Michael. (Supplied)
ST. MICHAEL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Wright County Sheriff’s Office is releasing more information on a crash involving a deputy that left a former St. Michael mayor dead last week.
The crash occurred on Dec. 23 shortly before 8 p.m. on the 400 block of Main Street North in St. Michael. Harry Welter, 84, was killed in the crash. He served as mayor from 1987 to 1991. Before that, he was a city council member for 10 years between 1977 and 1987.
A friend told FOX 9 Welter was collecting a garbage can from his driveway when he was hit.
The sheriff’s office said the deputy, identified as 37-year-old Dustin Hatzenbeller, was responding to an unknown medical call on that block. He arrived on the scene and pulled into the driveway, hitting Welter who was lying on the ground.
The sheriff says Deputy Hatzenbeller did not see Welter on the ground in the unlit driveway and struck him at a "slow speed." He immediately rendered medical assistance to Welter until paramedics arrived to take over and transport the victim to the hospital, where he died a short time later.
Hatzenbeller has been with the sheriff’s office since September 2020. He is currently on paid administrative leave.
The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash. The deputy and the sheriff’s office are fully cooperating.