The driver of an SUV ran a red light and hit a bicyclist early Sunday morning, November 26, 2017, in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. The driver then fled the scene. As of the posting of this article, police have not found the SUV or its driver. We are joining others in urging anyone with information about the SUV or its driver to call the St. Paul Police Department at 651-291-1111.
The collision happened at about 12:10 a.m. at the intersection of West 7th Street and Grand Ave. Initially, St. Paul police were asking for information as to the identity of the bicyclist. Today, we have learned that his identity is now known.
According to the Brasa Rotisserie Facebook page, the injured bicyclist is an employee of Brasa Rotisserie, a St. Paul restaurant:
“Jose H. had completed a shift at our St. Paul Brasa location and was heading home on his bike, wearing a helmet, and with a headlamp lit. . . . After undergoing a series of surgeries today, Jose remains in critical condition in the hospital.”
St. Paul restaurant says its worker was cyclist critically hurt by hit-and-run driver https://t.co/7pTRVMBwEs pic.twitter.com/35MmmINwrV
— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) November 27, 2017
The bicyclist was severely injured, according to a statement from the St. Paul police provided to the Star Tribune: “The victim was unconscious, unresponsive and suffering from grave injuries.” He was taken to Regions Hospital and is in critical condition.
Our bicycle accident lawyers have helped families whose loved ones were hurt in hit-and-run accidents. In one case we handled, motorcyclists who saw the accident chased down the hit-and-run driver, but in other cases it took time to find the driver and hold that person accountable.
Again, the St. Paul Police Department is looking for the SUV that hit the bicyclist and its driver. They think the SUV is tan or beige, and it most likely has front-end damage. The SUV may have fled west on 7th. Call the police department at 651-291-1111 if you have any information.
Source: Walsh, Paul. “SUV driver runs red light in St. Paul, hits and leaves behind gravely hurt cyclist.” Star Tribune. 27 Nov. 2017. Web.