A 78-year-old Minneapolis woman who has walked the same route near the Mississippi riverfront every day for three decades was struck by a car early Friday morning near Gold Medal Park, leaving her with a fractured pelvis, a severely injured head, and the possibility that she could lose her foot. Ina Dunham was crossing near the intersection of 11th Avenue South and 2nd Street, close to the Guthrie Theater, when the crash happened sometime between 5:45 and 6:45 a.m.
According to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Dunham suffered extensive injuries, including multiple facial injuries and a staple now holding the back of her head together. Despite the severity of her condition, she is listed as stable and, according to family, is talking and in good spirits as she begins a recovery her family expects to take months.
Two men stopped at the scene to help Dunham immediately after she was struck, but her family has not been able to identify or locate them since. Relatives are now asking anyone with information about the men, or anyone who may have captured video of the crash, to come forward and share it with the family or with Minneapolis police, per the same report.
What Police Have Said About the Driver
The Minneapolis Police Department has said the crash was not a hit-and-run. The driver, a 64-year-old, remained on the scene, cooperated with officers, and provided a statement, the outlet's report notes. A police report stated that an individual in the crosswalk was struck by a vehicle, and the investigation remains open as a detective reviews the information gathered so far.
Dunham's son-in-law, Jake Dunham, said drivers should slow down, a plea that lands in an area where the posted speed limit is 20 mph. That limit is not incidental to the Mill District: Minneapolis lowered its default citywide speed limit on local residential streets to 20 mph in 2020 as part of its Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries, according to the City of Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board followed suit, with lower speed limits on all Park Board parkways taking effect in January 2022.
Why Speed Matters at Gold Medal Park
The city's research underpins why those limits exist: a pedestrian hit by a vehicle traveling 20 mph has a 13% likelihood of suffering a severe injury or dying, compared to a 73% likelihood when struck at 40 mph, per the City of Minneapolis. Gold Medal Park itself is a 7.5-acre green space in the Mill District, according to the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.
Under Minnesota Statute 169.21, drivers are required to stop and yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing within any marked crosswalk or unmarked intersection crosswalk until the pedestrian has cleared the driver's lane, according to the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. Failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk is classified as a misdemeanor under state law, carrying penalties of up to 90 days in jail, a $700 fine, or both, per Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben. Whether any citation will be issued in Dunham's case remains an open question tied to the ongoing police investigation.
A Familiar Face in the Mill District
Dunham is described as active at St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church. She also volunteers at the Guthrie Theater welcome desk, a role that placed her walking route just steps from where she was struck. A GoFundMe has been created to support her recovery.
Minnesota's broader traffic-safety picture includes statewide traffic-death data for 2025 and 2024. Still, city data published in 2026 found that 64% of all fatal and serious injury crashes between 2020 and 2024 occurred on just 10% of city roadways, a subset officials categorize as High Injury Corridors. Statewide, Minnesota recorded 479 traffic fatalities in 2024, a 12% increase over the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
For now, Dunham's family is focused on her recovery and on finding the two strangers who stopped to help her in the minutes after the crash. Anyone with information is asked to reach out to the family or to Minneapolis police as the investigation continues.
