Moped Driver Hit By Car: Motorists Need To 'Be Aware & Be Cautious'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities moped driver feels lucky to be alive after a car slammed into her last month.

Lakesha Novicky was waiting to turn left on Lyndale Avenue near 25th Street in south Minneapolis when a car rear-ended her, sending her flying into the air.

Police say the car's driver told them she was "momentarily distracted."

"I just remember there was quite a bit of traffic and then I get into the left lane heading south, and then next thing I know I woke up in a pool of my own blood," Novicky said.

She lost teeth, her face had road rash, her body was sore -- but Lakesha Novicky knows it could have been much worse.

"Literally that was what was going through my head, was that I'm gonna die. Then I was able to kind of process I've been hit but I'm not broken," she said.

And lucky for her, it was all caught on tape.

"I'm so keyed in to things happening at this intersection," neighbor Jim Falia said.

Falia has surveillance cameras surrounding his home. They show the driver of the black car heading south on Lyndale, then colliding with Novicky.

"In about two more minutes the ambulance and the fire rescue shows up," Falia said.

In the crash report, the car driver told police she was distracted and that when she looked up she couldn't stop in time. That information didn't surprise Novicky.

"Things are constantly moving and adjusting on the road and so it's the responsibility for everybody out there to be aware and be cautious," she said.

Her moped was destroyed, but she plans to buy a new one. However, this time she'll make an additional purchase.

"Would a helmet have prevented my injuries? We'll never know," she said. "But it will definitely give me peace of mind, riding again with the helmet on."

It's unknown if the driver will face charges. Novicky says both of them have insurance, but she is seeking help from an attorney with hopes of making up the money she's lost from not being able to work.