Robbinsdale PD: Elderly Driver Traveling at Excessive Speed Critically Injured in Crash

Robbinsdale police are investigating a crash involving two vehicles that resulted in critical injuries to an elderly driver.

According to Robbinsdale police, the crash happened just after 11:20 a.m. Monday near the Cub Foods on westbound 36th Avenue.

Police say the driver, believed to be 80 years of age, was traveling at excessive speed on westbound 36th Avenue. Witnesses told police that they saw the driver strike a center median curb west of Regent Avenue North, then hit a traffic light pole, before slamming into a vehicle turning onto 36th from Cub.

When officers arrived, the elderly driver’s vehicle was visibly bent into two pieces. First responders needed a “Jaws of Life” tool to extricate the driver from her car. She was taken to North Memorial Health Hospital with critical injuries, police said.

Scene of crash/courtesy Robbinsdale PD

The other vehicle that was hit, a minivan, was occupied by a woman believed to be in her 60s. Police say she was not seriously hurt and was talking to officers at the scene.

Police are looking into the cause of the crash, including whether the accident may be due to a medical issue. 

“We don’t know. That’s obviously one of the things we’re looking into,” said Robbinsdale Police Capt. John Elder.

Officers from the Crystal and New Hope Police Departments, along with the Robbinsdale Fire Department, also responded to the crash.

Crystal | New Hope | Robbinsdale