CARVER COUNTY, Minn — A beloved former band teacher at Forest Lake High School and his wife died in a crash on Friday.
According to the Carver County Sheriff's Office, it happened at the intersection of CSAH 50 and CSAH 53, in Benton Township, at about 11:50 a.m.
75-year-old Richard Hahn was stopped at a stop sign, officials said, at an intersection with a stop sign only for east-west traffic. He started to enter the intersection, stopped, then attempted to cross when his car was struck by a dump truck.
The sheriff's office said he died at the scene while his wife and passenger Jeanette died at the hospital. The driver of the dump truck was not hurt. Everyone involved was wearing seatbelts, officials said.
Richard Hahn was the band director at Forest Lake High School from 1980 to 2009, the school's marching band shared on Facebook.
His former student, Heidi Busse, said Hahn organized travel opportunities for students to play in prep bowls, the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1987 and even the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1989.
"We didn’t have the opportunity to travel like this, and so Mr. Hahn, he showed us the world in a sense," said Busse. "It’s a real shock, we’re really sad and we’re just really feeling for his family."
The dump truck's driver, a 32-year-old male from Arlington, MN, was not injured. The Carver County Sheriff's Office says the crash remains under investigation.
A post from the Mattson Funeral Home & Cremation Service says a gathering of family and friends will be held on Friday, October 25 and a celebration of lives will be held at Faith Lutheran Church in Forest Lake on Saturday, October 26.
"Being a part of the Forest Lake band when Mr. Hahn was the band director was quite formative," said Busse. "Those years, they have really had an impact on my life and now that he’s gone, it’s a real loss."