A 60-year-old man riding a three-wheel motorcycle was killed Sunday after a Nissan Murano struck him from behind on Portland Avenue near Bischoff Lane in Bloomington, then barreled through a senior living facility's parking lot, tore down two trees and slammed into a power pole. The motorcyclist died at the scene in front of the Oxboro Library. The driver, a 35-year-old woman, was booked on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide.
According to KARE 11, the Bloomington Police Department said the SUV was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck the motorcyclist, who was headed northbound on Portland Avenue. The Bloomington Police Department Traffic Bureau responded to the scene, and the crash remains under an ongoing investigation, with no formal charges announced yet.
SUV Tore Through Senior Living Lot Before Coming to Rest
After the initial impact, the Murano continued through the parking lot at Hayden Grove Senior Living, an independent living, assisted living and memory care facility at 8715 Portland Avenue South, per the Minnesota Department of Health. The vehicle tore down two trees and crashed into a parked car before continuing down the road, where it crashed into a power pole, knocking out power to the neighborhood for a couple of hours.
Neighbor Allan Torres said the SUV sheared off the power pole, a sign of just how fast it was moving. Torres also said residents frequently walk near the stretch where the vehicle tore through, and that other people were fortunate not to have been hurt in the chaos.
Loud Thud Heard Across From Middle School
Jonathan Basilio Barrera told the outlet he heard a very loud thud while playing with his dog across from Valley View Middle School on Portland Avenue. The school, located at 8900 Portland Avenue South, serves roughly 640 students in grades six through eight within Bloomington Public Schools District 271, and enforces lower speed limits and heightened crosswalk protections during school days, according to the district.
The 60-year-old victim died in front of the Oxboro Library, a Hennepin County Library branch at 8801 Portland Avenue South that serves Bloomington and Richfield. Built as the city's second standalone library, the branch sits along a corridor described by Hennepin County Library as central to the surrounding neighborhood, near senior housing and middle school grounds. The driver of the Murano was taken to Fairview Ridges following the crash.
A Corridor Already Flagged for Safety Upgrades
The stretch of Portland Avenue near Bischoff Lane where the crash occurred has already been targeted for pedestrian safety improvements. Bloomington's capital improvement plan includes a funded Safe Routes to School project for that exact intersection, with pedestrian crossing enhancements and sidewalk access upgrades meant to serve students traveling to nearby schools, according to the City of Bloomington.
The crash also lands within a grim statewide backdrop for motorcyclists. Minnesota motorcycle fatalities reached 37 by mid-July, up sharply from 24 during the same stretch of 2025, putting the state on pace for one of its worst annual motorcycle death tolls in decades, per FOX 9. State traffic safety officials have pointed to a surge in high-speed and multi-vehicle fatal collisions involving motorcycles this riding season and urged drivers to check blind spots and look twice for riders.
Motorcycles make up only about 4% of registered vehicles in Minnesota but are involved in more than 11% of all traffic fatalities statewide each year, according to data cited by Betz & Port Law. State records point to left-turning vehicles, high speeds and driver inattention as leading factors in fatal motorcycle collisions, and note that motorcyclists are nearly five times more likely than car occupants to die in a crash.
Crash Fell Within Minnesota's Deadliest Summer Stretch
Sunday's crash occurred during Labor Day weekend, marking the close of Minnesota's annual “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” enforcement period, which runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and typically brings increased patrols targeting speeding, impaired driving and reckless driving, per the Minnesota State Patrol. Summer months consistently produce the state's highest fatal crash totals.
Under Minnesota law, motorcycle helmets are required only for riders under 18 and those driving with an instruction permit; adult riders 18 and older may legally ride without one, though state law still requires eye protection such as goggles, face shields or glasses, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. It is not known from available reporting whether the victim was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Separately, a state law that took effect in July 2025 legalized motorcycle lane filtering and splitting in Minnesota, allowing riders to pass stopped traffic at up to 15 mph and move between lanes in traffic moving under 25 mph, according to the City of Eden Prairie Police Department. The law was intended to reduce rear-end collisions involving motorcycles in slow or stopped traffic, and Minnesota became the sixth U.S. state to adopt the practice.
Potential Charges Carry Years in Prison
Under Minnesota Statute § 609.2112, criminal vehicular homicide is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000, or up to 15 years if the defendant has a qualifying prior driving conviction within the past decade, according to FindLaw. State sentencing guidelines carry a mandatory minimum of 48 months in prison upon conviction. Whether impairment or distraction played a role in Sunday's crash, and what speed the SUV was traveling before impact, remain open questions pending the Bloomington Police Department's investigation and any charges Hennepin County prosecutors may file.
The crash is at least the second fatal collision to hit Bloomington in weeks, following an August rollover on Highway 100/I-494 that killed a driver.
