A well-known Grand Forks businessman was sent to the hospital Monday morning after he was struck by a car while he was crossing the street.
Walter Swingen, 84, was hit by a car driven by 34-year-old Rebekah Ramierez of Grand Forks at 7:23 a.m. Ramierez was driving a 2007 Dodge Caravan south in the 1200 block of South 12th Street when the crash occurred.
Swingen was taken to Altru Hospital by ambulance. He was listed in satisfactory condition just before noon Monday.
Sgt. Duane Simon said he wasn’t expecting Ramierez to be cited for the crash.
"The Grand Forks Police Department wishes to remind all drivers to always wear their seatbelts and to drive safe and sober, and pedestrians to look both ways before crossing the street," the release states.
ADVERTISEMENT
Swingen is the chairman of Swingen Construction Co., according to a 2012 article about the company posted on the Komatsu America Corp. website. He was president of the company from 1965 to 1991, according to a profile of him on UND’s website.
Swingen Construction was launched in 1911, and Walter was part of the third generation of the family in the business, the Komatsu article states. The company specializes in “concrete structures, bridges, water crossings, dams, floodwalls and heavy foundations,” according to its website.
Swingen won the Henry Havig Award in 2000 from the Chamber of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, and he was president of the UND Alumni Association from 1991 to 1993. A scholarship for UND civil engineering students was established in his name by the Association of General Contractors in 1988.
