Bicyclist Hit by Minivan That Failed to Stop at an Intersection in Itasca County

A 90-year-old man riding a bicycle suffered life threatening injuries when a minivan ran him over. Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.

A 2007 Chrysler Town and Country was traveling southbound on Highway 46 in Morse Township, Minnesota, just outside of Deer River. It failed to stop at the intersection of Highway 46 and Highway 2 and hit Irving Lawrence Seelye as he was riding a bicycle through that intersection, according to the Minnesota State Patrol (MSP). Mr. Seelye was critically injured and transported to the hospital. Mr. Seelye had been traveling eastbound on Highway 2 and had the right-of-way because there is a stop sign for Highway 46 traffic, but not for Highway 2 traffic. There is nothing blocking the view of the stop sign from the road.

The accident happened March 20, 2018, at about 11:45 a.m. The roads were dry, and at that intersection Highway 2 runs straight. MSP did not provide information as to why the driver of the minivan did not stop before entering Highway 2.

The Itasca County Sheriff’s Office, Deer River Fire and Rescue, Essentia Health of Deerwood, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources assisted the Minnesota State Patrol at the scene.

Not Stopping at a Stop Sign

Right-of-Way

Many of our accident cases have involved failure to yield the right-of-way. This case highlights the dangers of ignoring stop signs. It is illegal because the result can be severe injury or wrongful death.

In many of our cases, the at-fault driver was distracted at the time of the accident. We have handled cases where the driver was texting, eating, looking at a map and turning to talk to a passenger, to name a few of our cases involving distracted drivers.

Bicyclists Have Rights on the Road

A bicyclist riding down the road has the same rights as a motorized vehicle. The rider is not required by Minnesota law to stop at intersections where the rider has the right-of-way. The drivers of motorized vehicles need to watch for bicyclists and keep in mind that rolling through a stop sign poses a significant risk to them.

Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman recently obtained a $3 million settlement for a family who sued a school district for the wrongful death of a loved one. They can be contacted for a free consultation at 1-888-377-8900. They help people throughout Minnesota who want answers, compensation and justice.