A bicyclist who was run over while on a sidewalk and severely injured by a speeding motorist 1½ years ago in south Minneapolis has died, authorities said Tuesday.
Bicyclist dies 1½ years after SUV hits him on Minneapolis sidewalk; plea deal spares driver prison
The crash left the victim paralyzed; the unlicensed driver's tentative plea deal with prosecutors calls for no more than a year in jail.
March 10, 2022 at 12:17PM
Dennis K. Thompson, 38, of New Hope died Sunday at North Memorial Health Hospital from complications of being left a paraplegic in connection with the late-night crash on Sept. 12, 2020, on S. Cedar Avenue near E. Franklin Avenue, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.
The driver, 30-year-old Aspen A. Burns, pleaded guilty on Jan. 31 to two counts of criminal vehicular operation.
The plea agreement between the defense and the County Attorney's Office calls for a stayed prison sentence of slightly less than two years, and to serve no more than a year in jail.
Had Thompson died before the plea deal, Burns most likely would have been charged with criminal vehicular homicide, which carries the potential for a harsher sentence upon conviction.
The County Attorney's Office has declined to say what, if anything, the consequence of Thompson's death might have on the plea agreement and Burns' eventual sentence.
Judge Kerry Meyer is scheduled to decide on March 24 whether to accept the terms of the plea agreement during sentencing.
At the time of the crash, Burns was driving despite his license having been revoked, the Department of Public Safety said Wednesday. Burns has been convicted twice previously in Minnesota for driving without a valid license.
According to the criminal complaint:
Officers arrived at the scene about 12:40 a.m. and saw the badly damaged SUV and several light posts, a crosswalk post and a bus stop pole that also were damaged. One light pole "traveled approximately 600 feet before coming to rest," the complaint said.
A witness sad she saw the SUV driver "flooring it" while heading north on Cedar, then went onto the sidewalk and struck the bicyclist.
An unconscious Thompson was taken by emergency medical responders to HCMC, where he was treated for a severe brain injury, broken vertebrae and fractured ribs and hip. He also lost a portion of one finger.
A woman in the SUV told police that she and Burns were arguing in the moments before the crash and that he had been drinking. A law enforcement test of Burns' blood revealed an alcohol content of 0.06%, within the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.
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