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25-Year-Old 'U Of M' Student Struck, Killed In Dinkytown

By James Schugel, WCCO-TV and John Lauritsen, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 25-year-old woman is dead after her bicycle collided with a semi-truck Thursday morning. It happened just before 8 a.m. at the intersection of 4th Street and 15th Avenue Southeast, near the University of Minnesota.

Witnesses said Kimberly Hull of St. Paul was not wearing a helmet and was wearing headphones, and appeared to be biking towards campus when she was hit by the truck.

Police say both Hull and the truck driver where heading south on 15th Avenue. The truck driver then tried to turn west on 4th Street and Hull tried to go straight. That's when they collided. Hull was thrown from her bike and police believe she died almost immediately.

"We got closer and saw a body on the ground and paramedics tried to revive her for 4 or 5 minutes," said witness Gabe Stumme.

Stumme and several of his classmates from nearby Pease Academy had been eating breakfast at McDonald's when they saw the crash. They watched as paramedics tried desperately to revive Kimberly Hull.

Thursday afternoon, they and others brought flowers to the intersection to pay their respects.

"I was just sick to my stomach for a while. I sat in class and wouldn't say anything for a while. It was an image that wouldn't leave my head," said witness Zach Anderson.

The truck driver pulled over immediately after hitting Hull and is cooperating with police. A preliminary breath test showed no indication of alcohol.

One of Hull's friends, Ben Rozenberg, remembered her.

"It didn't sink in at first," he said. "She really loved her work. And she was a just a fun person to be around. We're trying to remember her for who she was -- a really great person."

The breath test given to the truck driver is standard procedure.

Police continue to investigate this and won't say right now if the truck driver simply did not see Hull.

Hull's friends say she was an avid biker and was biking to work when she was hit.

According to the University of Minnesota's News Service, Hull was a student in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. She would have graduated in two weeks. She worked in the Rarig Center.

MnDOT officials expect a continued surge of bicyclists in 2011 and urge caution for those who may be new to bicycle commuting.

Watch John Lauritsen's Earlier Report

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