E-bike rider dies after collision with school bus in St. Francis, officials say
An e-bike rider is dead and an investigation is underway after a crash involving a school bus north of the Twin Cities Friday morning.
According to Anoka County officials, the fatal crash happened shortly before 7:30 a.m. near the area of St. Francis Boulevard Northwest and Ambassador Boulevard Northwest in St. Francis. There, emergency responders were dispatched to the report of a person hit by a bus.
Though the investigation is in its early stages, officials say it appears a school bus driver was attempting to turn south onto St. Francis Boulevard from Ambassador Boulevard when they crashed into a man on a bicycle.
The man, identified by the Minnesota State Patrol as 20-year-old Brady Geral Ausland of Oak Grove, Minnesota, died at the scene.
The school bus driver, a woman, was the only occupant of the bus at the time of the crash.
According to the patrol, the school bus made a complete stop at the signage before turning, but the e-bike rider did not stop at a crosswalk stop sign before the collision.
St. Francis Area Schools Superintendent Karsten Anderson confirmed the bus was from its district.
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and are fully cooperating with local and state law enforcements and agencies in the investigation of this accident," Anderson said.
A multi-agency investigation is looking into the crash.
Highway 47, which includes St. Francis Boulevard Northwest, has safety and access issues, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The agency says the highway needs long-term improvements.
The city of St. Francis is leading a project to make those improvements, with construction anticipated in 2028 or 2029.
This was the second fatal pedestrian crash in the Twin Cities on Friday morning. The other occurred on Highway 169 southbound in Shakopee.
This is a developing story, so check back for more.
