February 23, 2021
Watford City man dies after being hit by pickup truck
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
A 66-year-old Watford City man who had stopped on U.S. Highway 85 to retrieve items that had blown out of his own pickup truck was killed after he was hit by a pickup.
According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, William Thinnes was traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 85, five miles south of Watford City at 6:46 p.m. on Feb. 15, when items blew out of his 2018 Ram 1500 pickup bed. Thinnes turned around and parked his Ram facing northbound in the asphalt median. Thinnes exited the vehicle to retrieve his belongings that were scattered in the southbound lanes.