Body Of MnDOT Worker Found
MANKATO, Minn. (WCCO) -- The body of a Minnesota Department of Transportation worker who went missing Tuesday afternoon after his backhoe flipped has been found.
Officials announced they had located the body of 39-year-old Michael Struck on Wednesday afternoon. Recovery workers found his body 10 feet below the surface and 25 feet from the culvert where he was last seen.
Struck, a nine-year MnDOT employee, was clearing debris near Seven Mile Creek on Highway 169 when his backhoe was apparently pulled into the flood waters.
Minnesota State Patrol Cpt. Matt Langer said it appeared Struck was reaching into the water with the backhoe to clear things out when the equipment slipped in.
Officials said the currents were so dangerous that the dive team couldn't go in safely to search for Struck.
Struck was a volunteer firefighter in Cleveland, Minn., according to the Cleveland Fire Department's Assistant Fire Chief Glenn Beer.
On Tuesday at the Cleveland Fire Hall, his firefighting gear was on display. Fellow firefighters praised him as a wonderful volunteer and friend.
MnDOT supervisor Jim Swanson read a statement from the Struck family.
"Our family is devastated by this tragedy and knows Mike will be sorely missed by many. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
A Minnesota teenager is also remembering Struck as a hero.
"He saved my life! I don't there's anything bigger he could have done for me, ever," said Brandon Omtvedt, a 20-year-old college student from Cleveland, Minnesota.
He and his brother were finishing a 10-mile run alongside a Cleveland lake. Brandon was training for the Mankato Marathon.
At mile 9.5, Brandon suffered cardiac arrest.
"I was running and my brother said I just fell over," recalled Brandon.
His brother stopped a car that a college student studying to be a nurse was driving. She called 911 and started CPR before Struck showed up.
"When he arrived on scene, he relieved the lady giving me CPR and kept it going till the fire and rescue people got there," recalled Brandon, who survived.
His heroes, including Struck, were honored for their actions with a Life Saver Award from the Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office.
"The doctors said that if I had not received the medical attention and the CPR that early on, there could have been a lot more complications. Brain damage, stuff like that. And I didn't suffer any of that," Brandon said.
Brandon is now engaged and plans to become an engineer. He still wants to run the Mankato Marathon someday.
"I pretty much owe my life to him," said Brandon.
He didn't know Struck before that day, but now can't forget him.
Struck leaves behind a wife and two children. Fellow firefighters have praised him as a wonderful volunteer and friend.
Co-workers have established a memorial fund in his name to help fund the education of his children Kaylee, 6 and Gavin, 4. Checks can be made payable to:
Mike Struck Memorial Fund
c/o Nicollet County Bank
220 South Third Street
St. Peter, MN 56082
