local

A 13-year-old boy who tried to run across a busy highway in North St. Paul during afternoon rush hour Wednesday was struck and killed by a pickup truck.

Joseph J. Wright of North St. Paul was with his younger brother and may have been trying to cross Hwy. 36 near McKnight Road to go to a nearby Target store when he was hit about 5:30 p.m., said State Patrol Lt. Rochelle Schrofer. He died at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

Wright's brother did not try to cross the highway and was not hurt, Schrofer said. She noted that there are no pedestrian crosswalks in that area.

James J. Ryan, 46, of Oakdale was the driver of the truck that hit the boy. He has not been charged or cited with any traffic violations, the patrol said.

Investigators shut down the highway for about two hours to reconstruct the accident, Schrofer said.