Minneapolis Motorcyclist Hits Bus And Lives, Then Runs Light and Dies

A Minneapolis motorcyclist who rode away after hitting a bus on May 6 and then tragically died after getting into a second crash immediately after has been identified. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office announced on Monday, May 9, that the motorcyclist was 58-year-old Jefferey Sonczalla.

Minneapolis Police Department investigators were originally called just after 8 p.m. to assess the scene of a reported collision between a motorcycle and a Metro Transit bus. When they arrived at 32nd Street East and Minnehaha Avenue in south Minneapolis, they found that thankfully no one was injured, but the bus was damaged. In addition, neither the motorcycle nor the motorcyclist were found at the scene.

Officers now know that the man, recently identified as Sonczalla, drove away from the scene after hitting the bus, ran a red light at 35th Street East and Minnehaha Avenue and then hit a passenger vehicle.

The 58-year-old was treated at the scene before being taken to Hennepin Healthcare. He died of blunt force chest injuries just after 8:30 p.m. According to Facebook, Sonczalla was an avid motorcycle fan.

So far in 2022, there have been 86 deaths on Minnesota roads, compared to 122 at the same time in 2021.