A 48-year-old Lake City man was left with life-threatening injuries Monday morning after his motorcycle collided with an SUV on Highway 61 in St. Paul, just south of the Interstate 94 interchange near the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood. Justin Michael Ohde was riding a 2025 Indian Scout Cruiser when the crash happened around 9:29 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 61 and Burns Avenue.
According to the KROC-AM News report, Ohde and 55-year-old Sheryl Lynn Boyce of Cottage Grove were both traveling northbound on Highway 61 in a 2021 Volvo XC60 when Boyce attempted to turn right onto Burns Avenue and the two vehicles collided. Minnesota State Patrol records confirm the crash occurred on dry pavement, and the St. Paul Fire Department responded to the scene. Ohde suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, while Boyce, who was wearing her seatbelt, was not injured, per the state patrol's report. State Patrol logs list the crash under Incident ICR 26406904.
Regions Hospital is the only facility verified as a Level I Trauma Center for both adults and children in the East Twin Cities metro area, according to HealthPartners, which explains why the critically injured rider was taken there rather than a closer facility. The hospital serves as the primary safety-net trauma center for Ramsey County and eastern Minnesota. Ohde's updated condition has not been made public, and it remains unclear whether investigators have made any right-of-way or citation determinations in the case.
Helmet Use Was Legal, But Not Required
The state patrol's report noted that Ohde was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Under Minnesota Statute § 169.974, helmets are mandatory only for riders under 18 or those holding an instruction permit, meaning helmet use is optional for fully licensed adult riders like Ohde, as Hoodline has previously reported. State law does still require eye protection, such as goggles or a face shield, for all riders regardless of age.
The Highway 61 and Burns Avenue intersection sits along a heavily traveled arterial that connects St. Paul to south-metro suburbs, positioned just south of the I-94 interchange. That stretch of roadway has seen repeated motorcycle trauma this year alone. In July, a 16-year-old motorcyclist suffered life-threatening injuries in a multi-vehicle crash on nearby Interstate 94 in Woodbury and was also taken to Regions Hospital, a case Hoodline covered in its report on the teen biker fighting for life after that crash.
A Statewide Surge in Motorcycle Deaths
Monday's crash lands amid a broader spike in motorcycle fatalities across Minnesota this year. The City of Eden Prairie reported that state safety officials recorded 26 motorcycle deaths statewide by mid-June, a 117% increase over the same point in 2025, prompting officials to urge drivers to check their blind spots and riders to seek refresher training. Motorcycles make up only about 4% of registered vehicles in Minnesota but account for more than 11% of all traffic fatalities each year, according to Betz & Port, P.A.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's preliminary data showed 243 total traffic fatalities statewide through August 27, up from 230 during the same period in 2025. The state recorded 363 total traffic deaths in all of 2025. A 2025 law also legalized motorcycle lane filtering at speeds up to 25 mph between lanes of slow or stopped traffic, a change Hoodline has noted in its coverage of a separate fatal crash involving a Vadnais Heights rider killed on Highway 371, part of the ongoing conversation around rider safety and driver awareness at busy interchanges across the East Metro.
