If you were just in a crash somewhere between the two downtowns, the first hours feel like noise. This page pulls together what matters for the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro: where crashes happen here, what Minnesota law asks of you, and how the state's no-fault rules decide who pays first.
What the numbers say
Minnesota recorded 475 traffic deaths in 2024 across 429 fatal crashes, according to preliminary counts from the state's Office of Traffic Safety.1 It was one of the deadlier years in recent memory. The 2025 preliminary count came down to 363.2 The Minnesota Department of Transportation has set a target of no more than 225 roadway deaths a year by 2030, which tells you how far above the goal the metro's roads still sit.3
Most of that traffic, and most of the crashes, happen here. Hennepin and Ramsey counties carry the state's heaviest volume of vehicles and its highest crash totals. In Minneapolis alone, about 160 people are killed or seriously hurt in traffic every year, a figure that peaked in 2022 and has eased since, according to the city's Vision Zero program.4 Speed drives much of it. Speeding was a factor in roughly 80% of the city's fatal crashes in 2024, up from 43% in 2017.4 The city's crash reviews also flag red-light running and impaired driving as leading factors, and about five people were killed while walking or rolling in Minneapolis in 2025, in line with 2024.4
Where crashes cluster
Crashes are not spread evenly across the metro. Minneapolis found that about 10% of its streets account for close to two-thirds of the fatal and serious-injury crashes, a set the city labels its High Injury Streets.4 They include names every local driver knows: Lake Street, Franklin Avenue, Hennepin Avenue, and Nicollet Avenue.5 The city is aiming safety fixes at roughly 46 miles of those corridors.5
Across the river, Saint Paul's own crash analysis put its worst concentrations along the Interstate 94 corridor, especially where ramps meet major arterials at Snelling Avenue, Lexington Parkway, University Avenue, and Dale Street. Maryland Avenue, Rice Street, White Bear Avenue, and East 7th Street also carried heavy crash counts.6
The freeway tying the whole metro together is I-94. The stretch through the core, from Marion Street in Saint Paul to Highway 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) in Minneapolis, is the region's busiest and one of its highest-crash segments. MnDOT built it in the 1960s, cutting through the Rondo neighborhood and taking about 433 homes and 300 businesses.7 The agency is now studying the entire corridor under its Rethinking I-94 project, with safety among the stated goals; the environmental scoping documents were open for public comment from January 6 to March 23, 2026.7 I-35W, the metro's other core interstate, pushes similar commuter and truck loads through south Minneapolis.
What to do right after a crash
Minnesota law is specific about the minutes after a collision. Under Minn. Stat. § 169.09, any driver in a crash has to stop and give their name, date of birth, address, and vehicle registration to the others involved, and show a license to a peace officer on request.8 Leaving the scene of a crash that hurt someone can be charged as a felony.
When police respond, the investigating officer files a report with the Department of Public Safety within ten days, and if someone dies the agency has to be notified within two business days.8 Get the officer's name and the crash report number before you leave. Photograph the vehicles, the intersection, the signals, and any skid marks. Witness names and phone numbers are worth more than you'd guess a month later.
How Minnesota no-fault works
Minnesota is a no-fault state, and that changes who pays your first bills. After a crash, your own policy's Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage pays regardless of who caused it. State law sets the minimum at $20,000 for medical expenses and a separate $20,000 for income loss and other economic losses, so $40,000 per person in all.9 Your insurer covers early medical care and lost wages while fault is still being worked out.
When you can step outside no-fault
No-fault doesn't mean the at-fault driver is off the hook. Minn. Stat. § 65B.51 lets you bring a liability claim for pain and suffering and other non-economic harm once your injury crosses one of its thresholds: more than $4,000 in reasonable medical expenses (not counting diagnostic imaging or rehabilitation), a disability of 60 days or more, permanent injury, permanent disfigurement, or death.10 Serious crashes clear that bar quickly. A minor fender-bender usually will not.
Deadlines that can end your claim
Two clocks run from the day of the crash. For an injury to your body, Minnesota gives you six years to file suit under Minn. Stat. § 541.05.11 When a crash kills someone, a wrongful-death claim generally has to be filed within three years of the death under Minn. Stat. § 573.02.12 Those windows sound generous, but physical evidence fades and insurers set their own pace, so the practical moment to act comes long before the legal deadline.
Getting help
If your injuries are past the fender-bender range, or an insurer is fighting over who pays, it's worth talking to someone who handles these cases in Minnesota. You can start with the legal directory. Bring your crash report number, your policy's declarations page, and every medical bill you have.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
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Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety. 2024 fatality count by month. https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/reports-statistics-and-data/fatal-crash-numbers/2024-fatality-count-month
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Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety. Reports, Statistics and Data. https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/reports-statistics-and-data
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Minnesota Department of Transportation. Roadway Fatalities Performance Measure Dashboard. https://www.dot.state.mn.us/measures/roadway-fatalities.html
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City of Minneapolis. Vision Zero Data and Stats. https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/visionzero/vz-data-stats/
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City of Minneapolis. Vision Zero Action Plan. https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/visionzero/vz-action-plan/
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City of Saint Paul. Safe Streets Crash Analysis, Appendix A. https://www.stpaul.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/Appendix%20A_CrashAnalysis.pdf
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Minnesota Department of Transportation. Rethinking I-94, Minneapolis to St. Paul. https://talk.dot.state.mn.us/rethinking-i94
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Minnesota Statutes § 169.09, Accidents. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/169.09
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Minnesota Statutes § 65B.44, Basic economic loss benefits. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/65B.44
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Minnesota Statutes § 65B.51, Tort limitations. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/65b.51
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Minnesota Statutes § 541.05, Various limitations, six years. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/541.05
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Minnesota Statutes § 573.02, Death by wrongful act, limitations. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/573.02