3 seriously injured after being hit by vehicle in Minneapolis

Minneapolis police continue their search for the person who caused a Friday night crash that sent three pedestrians to the hospital.

Council Member Jamal Osman says two of the victims are in stable condition, and one remains in critical condition.

All three are being treated at HCMC.

“It was horrible, it was horrible,” recalled Aden Aden, who says he witnessed the crash. “I saw bodies in the sky land on the ground, horrible.”

Authorities say around 9:40 p.m., an unidentified vehicle was heading southbound on Portland Avenue, just off Franklin Avenue East when the driver sideswiped another car, which hit the pedestrians.

Investigators have described the victims only as two women — one in her 20s, the other in her 30s — and a man in his 30s.

Aden says he saw the two cars make contact.

“When it hit him, it made the car go from the middle lane to the left lane, which caused those people to get hit,” he noted.

Aden says he thinks the pedestrians were in the crosswalk.

“It’s sad, I hope they’re okay,” Osman added. “I pray for them, they’re okay, that whoever did this, we can bring them to justice.”

Police say the sideswiped car also plowed into several parked vehicles.

That driver stayed on the scene, but the operator of the first car drove off, according to a statement by MPD.

Authorities have not released any description of the missing car or its driver.  

Osman says the city should consider installing a traffic camera at the intersection of Portland Avenue and Franklin Avenue East.

“We’ve got to make sure people are safe and secure,” he said. “Especially if we’re promoting biking and walking in the City of Minneapolis. We need to be able to keep that safe.”

Safety is very much on the minds of workers at the nearby Midwest Market.

“I think there’s like probably two to three accidents happening like every single month or two,” declared Hada Abukar, whose father runs the market.

According to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, 17 pedestrians in Minnesota were killed in car crashes in 2023.

That’s down from 24 people in 2021.

But Osman worries that number could go up with more people walking and biking in the city.

“In my neighborhood, a lot of people are walking and biking and people have been driving reckless, some people,” he said. “Too fast and not obeying the law.”

Abukar says safety improvements are badly needed at the intersection near the crash scene.

“I think it’s honestly sad,” she said. “A lot of it could be prevented by just traffic cameras and signs. I just feel we should do something about it because it’s just like somebody crossing and something could happen to you.”