3 Seriously Injured In Pedal Pub Crash Near Downtown Mpls.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis police say three people suffered serious injuries and nine others were taken to the hospital after a Pedal Pub was rear-ended on the Hennepin Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis Wednesday night.
The Pedal Pub was traveling southbound on the bridge at about 10 p.m. when a vehicle struck it from behind, causing it to tip over.
Police said a quick-thinking of a group of people who were passing by lifted the pedal-powered-pub to rescue people who were pinned beneath it.
"To see that that pub was tipped over, and that a number of people had to come by to actually pick it up to help the folks that were trapped underneath it, gives you an idea of the severity of this accident," Scott Seroka, of the Minneapolis Police Department, said.
All 12 of the passengers were taken to the hospital, three with serious injuries.
The operator of the pedal pub, who sits in a different way than the passengers, was not hurt. The operator did drive to the medical center to check on the passengers.
The driver of the car was taken into custody, and could face charges of criminal vehicular injury.
Police are investigating the circumstances of this accident, including the speed and possibility the driver may have been drinking. They say, at this point, it's too early to say what factors contributed to the crash.
Southbound lanes of Hennepin Avenue remained closed until 1 a.m. Thursday. The crash is still under investigation.