Scooter rider dies in crash with semi near U

Last update: July 16, 2008 - 5:39 AM

A man was killed Tuesday afternoon when the motor scooter he was riding collided with a semitrailer truck near the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis.

Both vehicles were westbound on University Avenue SE. when the driver of the semi began to make a right turn at Malcolm Avenue SE. The truck driver, having to make a wide turn, swung left. The driver of the scooter apparently thought he could beat the truck through the intersection, said Minneapolis Sgt. Jesse Garcia, a police spokesman.

The scooter hit the side of the semitrailer truck. The driver of the scooter died at the scene, Garcia said. The Hennepin County medical examiner is working to identify the man, who wasn't carrying any identification.

MARY LYNN SMITH