Bicyclist killed in crash Tuesday with truck identified, investigation continues

Emily Cutts, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

Jun. 24—Stephen F. Pieper was the 48-year-old bicyclist who was killed in a crash with a truck Tuesday in Rochester Township.

Law enforcement officials released Pieper's identity Wednesday morning.

Olmsted County Sheriff's Capt. Scott Behrns said Pieper was going west down a hill on Country Club Road West about 10:50 a.m. when his bike collided with a 3500 dual wheel Dodge Ram pickup that was northbound on 60th Avenue Southwest in the intersection with County Club Road.

There is a stop sign on 60th Avenue. The crash remains under investigation to determine where exactly the crash occurred in the intersection and the circumstances that lead up to it.

The driver of the truck, 61-year-old James Hanson, of rural Oronoco, was not injured. Behrns said Hanson showed no signs of impairment and there was no indication anyone was on their phone at the time of the crash.

Emergency responders attempted life saving efforts at the scene, but Pieper, who was wearing a helmet, was pronounced deceased.

The Rochester Fire Department, Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service and the Minnesota State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Inspection Unit all responded.

The last fatal crash involving a bicyclist in Rochester occurred in August 2016.

Rochester resident Margaret Miland, 72, died days after she was struck by an SUV while crossing 19th Street Northwest near its intersection with Valley High Drive.

The 24-year-old driver of the SUV was convicted of misdemeanor careless driving and sentenced to a year of probation, as well as community service, according to Olmsted County District Court records.

Miland's death was the first bicyclist fatality in the city in a decade, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety. In 2020, a total of 10 bicyclists were killed statewide, according to DPS data.