Cottage Grove Motorcyclist Seeks Hit-and-Run Driver; State Patrol Investigating

Following a mysterious accident, an injured motorcyclist is asking for the public's help today. He believes he's the victim of a hit and run, yet authorities say there's no evidence that's the case.

Forty-year-old Cahn Chu, a married father of two from Cottage Grove, left Regions Hospital in St. Paul Saturday afternoon with a broken leg. He'll be out of work for up to six weeks, but he says he's just happy to be alive.

"It was dark out," he says, describing the crash. "It was me and him out on the road and he was coming up fast."

Chu says he was alone, riding east on 494 near the River Valley Bridge, when a car struck him from behind. "I saw him as I was sliding on the road. I looked up and I saw him pull over," he remembers.

But only for a minute, before Chu says the car sped off. "I was laying in the center lane. I crawled onto the right shoulder and I lay there for five or ten minutes."

Beth Ann Chu, Cahn's wife, says, "It doesn't help you feel good about humanity at that point in time. It broke my heart to hear he was left in the middle of the road like that."

She adds, tearing up, "I have two kids at home who are scared."

A passing car eventually stopped and called 911.

"Thank God he lived," Beth Ann says.

Chu says he has no real description of the car that hit him. However, when his family went to pick up his motorcycle from an impound lot they found blue paint on it. And Chu believes whoever hit him, his or her car must have damage on the front end.

Still, State Patrol investigators say they have no evidence indicating Chu was hit at all. The only witness to come forward reports seeing Chu's motorcycle speed up, but saw no car and no collision.

Chu inists that he was hit. "From the bike you can see clearly that I was struck from behind," he says.

Cahn and Beth Ann Chu are begging the mystery motorist to come forward. Beth Ann pleads, "How can you not want to make sure that you help somebody that you just hurt?"

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Minnesota State Patrol. Information can be provided anonymously.

Mark Saxenmeyer can be reached at msaxenmeyer@kstp.com