Family says Minneapolis police didn't notify them after crash left 61-year-old relative seriously hurt
MINNEAPOLIS -- The family of a man seriously hurt in a crash early Wednesday morning is looking for answers. They say they weren't notified of the accident that left their loved one fighting for his life at an area hospital.
The crash happened just after midnight at East 38th Street and Portland Avenue, in south Minneapolis' Powderhorn neighborhood. One driver, a 33-year-old man, died at the hospital. The other driver, 61-year-old Jose Herrera Garcia, was hospitalized in critical condition.
Investigators say that speeding likely played a factor in the crash.
Through a local community leader, Clementina Tovar, Garcia's wife, said that her husband is in "very fragile health."
"The doctors told her today that they can't operate because his brain is too swollen right now," said Victor Martinez, the community leader.
Garcia was driving home from work when the crash happened. Tovar is upset because although the crash happened just blocks from her home, no one notified her.
She learned of the crash nearly a day later after a seeing a television news story.
Tovar and her goddaughter went to 38th and Portland, and they found Garcia's shoes and glasses at the scene.
"She said it was very frustrating because she was doing her own investigation," Martinez said.
The family is calling for more police officers to be put on the streets. They say that officers cannot help victims of crime like them if they are too busy answering call after call.
"We're asking the governor, we're asking the city officials to have more officers, because there seems to be this feeling of lawlessness with these people speeding around our community," said Reyna Bahena, Tovar's goddaughter.
Community leaders say this is not the first time a Latino family has had no help from police when a loved one is the victim of a crime.
"People need to know that this just doesn't effect one group of people or one community, it affects everybody," Martinez said.
Garcia is the only breadwinner for a family of 10. A fund has been set up to help with expenses until he can work again.
