Woman severely injured in hit-and-run in Minneapolis was about to start hospital ER job

A motorist struck a woman on foot in northeast Minneapolis overnight and drove off, officials said Thursday.

The incident occurred shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday near 4th and University avenues NE., police said.

Officers were dispatched to the area and found the woman there with life-threatening injuries, according to police. Emergency medical responders took her to HCMC, where she was in serious condition as of late Thursday afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The driver was gone by the time officers arrived, police said.

The woman’s family has identified her as 26-year-old Michaela Howk, who grew up in New Ulm, and recently moved from Nashville for a new job.

“Michaela had her entire life ahead of her, full of hope, dreams, and plans for the future” including starting next week in the emergency room at Children’s Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis, cousin Nate Bauer wrote Thursday on an online fundraising page that was started to help with Howk’s medical bills and rehabilitation.

Bauer said Howk is “suffering multiple severe injuries, including several broken bones, head trauma and spine. ... Michaela will require ongoing medical care, rehabilitation, and extensive physical therapy. In addition to the medical costs, we will need to make modifications to her home to accommodate her new needs. This will include making the house wheelchair-accessible, which will be a significant financial burden for our family.”