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Madeleine Baran
Bloomington, Minn.

Woman dies after bicyclists crash head-on in Bloomington

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A bizarre bicycle accident killed a woman last week, after her bicycle collided with another on a marked bike path in Bloomington.

"It was just the biggest freak accident that we've seen in some time," said Bloomington Police Commander Kevin Herman.

Lisa Ann Roden, 50, of Excelsior, was wearing a helmet when she collided with another cyclist on a Bloomington bike path at about 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Roden was making a left turn into a tunnel under East Bush Lake Road at 86th Street when she veered slightly into the incoming bike lane.

At the same time, a 55-year-old male cyclist called out that he was emerging from the tunnel into the incoming lane. As soon as he got out of the tunnel, the two cyclists hit head-on.

"The sad thing is, he wasn't even going very fast when he came out, and still ended up being bad enough to end up in a fatality," Herman said.

Roden was immediately transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she died of head injuries the next day. The male cyclist, whose name has not been released, did not suffer any visible injuries.

Herman said that police officials have determined the crash was an accident, and have closed their investigation.

A spokesperson for the League of American Bicyclists cautioned that head injuries can occasionally occur during a crash, despite wearing a helmet.

"It's protecting your head as much as it can, but they're definitely not flaw-proof," said spokesperson Meghan Cahill.

Cyclists need to make sure their helmets fit properly, Cahill said. Helmets should be replaced if they are worn during a crash, or if they are dropped.

Herman said city officials may reconsider the design of the tunnel and the bike path as a result of the crash.