Semitrailer truck driver crashes into Mankato hotel, dies

A semitrailer truck driver crashed into a hotel Monday afternoon in Mankato and died of his injuries.

Larry Tiede, 64, of Waseca, Minn., was eastbound on Hwy. 14 when his 2005 Freightliner veered off the highway about 4:25 p.m., the State Patrol said.

Tiede's truck went down an embankment and struck the front entrance of the River Hills Hotel on Raintree Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the patrol said.

Tiede was not wearing a seat belt, the patrol said. Alcohol did not appear to have been a factor in the crash.

Tiede's death was the state's 353rd traffic death of 2020, according to the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety. There were 318 at this time last year.