Pedestrian Taken to Hospital After Being Hit by Suspected Drunk Driver in Downtown Rochester 

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Olmsted County Attorney’s Office has filed charges against a driver accused of being drunk when he hit a pedestrian at a downtown Rochester intersection. 

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It happened on Wednesday morning. The criminal complaint was filed in Olmsted County Court on Thursday. 

An empty beer can and opening beer case were spotted inside of the suspect vehicle, the complaint says. Responding Rochester Police officers found the victim seated in the roadway. 

Charges: Drunk Driver Struck Pedestrian at Downtown Rochester Intersection

The pick-up and pedestrian collision occurred shortly before 8 a.m. at the intersection of 1st St. and Civic Center Dr. Northeast. The victim said she was heading west while crossing Civic Center Dr. when a pick-up hit the left side of her body and knocked her to the ground. 

The driver, identified as 36-year-old Sean Allen Dyrdahl, then got out of his vehicle and apologized to the woman, the complaint says. 

A witness told police they saw the pick-up make a left turn from 1st St. to northbound Civic Center Dr. when it suddenly stopped at the crosswalk and was straddling both lanes. 

The victim had visible scrapes on her left arm and a swollen right wrist. She also complained of back pain before being transported by ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital, the charges say. 

Her condition was not known at the time of the complaint filing. 

An officer speaking with Dyrdahl noticed the odor of an alcoholic beverage and spotted the empty beer can in the truck bed and the opened case of beer in the back of the truck, according to the court document. 

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Police ran Dyrdahl through field sobriety testing at the scene and the Rochester man exhibited signs of impairment. A preliminary breath test measured his blood-alcohol concentration at 0.173, the charges say. 

Dyrdahl was arrested on suspicion of DWI and law enforcement obtained a warrant to draw a sample of his blood for testing. 

Dyrdahl is charged with two counts of gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation, two counts of gross misdemeanor DWI and a count of driving without insurance. 

Court records indicate Dyrdahl has a prior DWI conviction. He’s scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Friday morning.

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