Man ‘lying in the roadway’ run over by driver, MN cops say. Family wants answers

Mystery surrounds the death of a 38-year-old man who Minnesota authorities say was run over while alone on a roadway.

The Rochester Police Department said the victim, identified by loved ones as Nathan Westergaard, was “lying in the roadway” around 5 a.m. on Aug. 3 when he was struck by a driver. g

Westergaard was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The fatal collision remains under investigation. It’s unclear why Westergaard was in the road.

It’s among the questions Westergaard’s family has after his death. In a GoFundMe, loved ones described emotions of “denial, sorrow, anger, confusion and heartbreak.”

“Why was Nate found alone, so far from home?” they wrote in the fundraiser. “Why wasn’t his phone found?”

Police told KTTC there was no evidence of criminal behavior against the driver, who has cooperated in the investigation.

Westergaard was an assistant golf professional at the Rochester Golf & Country Club, according to KTTC. He was not working the day of the fatal incident.

“He was wonderful. His work was fabulous this year,” one of his co-workers, Martin Keefe, told the station. “He was up walking his dog every morning, like his life was fantastic as far as I know.”

Family described Westergaard as being “deeply loved.” They’re left with “excruciating” grief, according to the GoFundMe.

“How do we move forward without our son, our little brother, our Irish twin, our uncle, our grandson, our cousin, our friend, our handyman, our wordsmith, our chess master, our Golf Pro … our NATE?” loved ones said.

Rochester is about a 90-mile drive southeast from Minneapolis.