Hills man injured by distracted driver

Pete Hoff, Hills, is recovering from injuries he sustained July 3 when the golf cart he was driving was rear-ended by a distracted driver.
Hoff, 82, said he’d been on his golf cart in front of Orv’s Station near the curb on Highway 270 in Hills when he noticed in his mirror that a vehicle was quickly approaching from behind.
“I could see he was coming at me,” Hoff said. “He plowed right into the back of the golf cart. … It knocked the rear seat right off.”
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the accident happened at around 3:45 p.m. near the intersection of Main Avenue on County Road 13.
The report states that an eastbound 2005 Honda Accord, driven by 18-year-old Noah Hellerud, Hills, struck the back of Hoff’s 1995 golf cart.
The report stated that Hellerud had been texting and didn’t see the golf cart and struck its rear end.
Hoff said he’s grateful the rear seat was there to absorb some impact or his injuries would have been worse.
As it is, he spent six hours in the emergency room and suffered a broken pelvis, three broken bones in his spine and needed stitches n his lip.
“I’m black and blue all over,” Hoff said Friday, July 12. “The golf cart is done for.”
The Rock County Sheriff’s Office and Hills Fire and Rescue assisted at the scene.