51-year-old killed in hit-and-run on Platte Avenue

Photo provided by Ziemer’s family to the Colorado Springs Police Department

(COLORADO SPRINGS) – The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) has identified the man killed while riding a scooter on Platte Avenue in the early morning hours of Friday, April 26th.

According to CSPD, 51-year-old Rueben Ziemer was killed just after 1:15 a.m. on April 26 while riding a scooter eastbound on Platte Avenue. The car that hit him, a late ’90s red Jeep Cherokee, left the scene of the crash. When emergency responders arrived on scene, Ziemer was pronounced dead.

After CSPD released a photo of the car allegedly involved, the driver, 33-year-old Andrew James Bjornstad, turned himself in on Saturday, April 27, and was booked into the El Paso County Jail on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.

The El Paso County coroner identified Ziemer as the victim of the April 26 hit-and-run.

This is the 18th traffic fatality in Colorado Springs in 2024. There were also 18 fatalities at the same time in 2023.