An ATV operator was hit from behind on a central Minnesota county road by an SUV and killed, authorities in Stearns County said Wednesday.

The collision occurred about 7:50 a.m. Tuesday in Lake George Township on southbound County Road 175 at 265th Street, roughly 15 miles south of Sauk Centre, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Daniel A. Schwieters, 76, of nearby Belgrade, was driving his Polaris Ranger side-by-side ATV south on 175 and about to turn left onto 265th Street, when he was struck by the SUV driven by Juan Hernandez Martinez, 27, of Melrose, Minn.

Schwieters was thrown from the ATV and suffered a severe head injury, the Sheriff’s Office said. He was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in St. Cloud, where he died.

The ATV was equipped with seat belts, but it appeared Schwieters did not have his on at the time of the crash.

Authorities continue to investigate why the SUV driver failed to avoid the collision.