Driver who fatally struck woman in Minneapolis bar parking lot cooperating with investigators, police say
MINNEAPOLIS – Minneapolis police tell WCCO the driver who hit and killed a woman in a restaurant parking lot Sunday night is now cooperating with investigators.
Police were called at about 8:15 p.m. to Eli's East Food & Cocktails on the 800 block of East Hennepin Avenue, where they found an injured woman believed to be in her 50s who was hit by a car after apparently falling down. She was soon pronounced dead at the scene.
Neighbor Rod Dockter saw the aftermath of what officers first considered a deadly hit-and-run.
"I think any conscientious resident feels a little vulnerable when they see something obviously happen that close to your own dwelling," Dockter said. "I've always been cautious when I cross the street to go to dinner at the restaurant, but now be even more cautious."
The speed limit on East Hennepin Avenue is 30 mph, but there is no posted speed limit in a parking lot. A car couldn't have been traveling that quickly, which means it doesn't take much for a vehicle to inflict the kind of blunt trauma to cause this tragedy.
Among the unanswered questions for detectives: What caused the woman to fall? And will the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's autopsy reveal whether alcohol was a factor?
The U.S. Department of Transportation reports nearly half of all pedestrian crashes involve someone who was drunk.
As days get shorter and nights get longer, officials are urging people to always use crosswalks and wear bright or reflective clothing. Also, take off your headphones and don't look down at your phone.
Police have not made any arrests.