Authorities suspect driver in Minnetonka crash that injured teen was impaired, search warrant shows
MINNETONKA, Minn. — Investigators suspect the driver they say caused a crash in Minnetonka that severely injured a teenage girl was impaired, court documents show.
The Minnesota State Patrol filed and executed a search warrant to obtain the driver's blood on Tuesday, the day of the crash.
The crash occurred at Highway 7 and Williston Road in Minnetonka. According to the patrol, the 29-year-old driver from Minneapolis was speeding and ran a red light before the crash. Seventeen-year-old Lauren Olson suffered life-threatening injuries in the collision.
Authorities wanted a blood sample from the 29-year-old driver because he was driving in a "reckless manner" and was "confused, non-communicative, incoherent" after the collision, the search warrant shows. Investigators also found "several used cigarillos" in his car, the warrant states. A breath test at the scene registered a blood alcohol content of .000.
The driver also has a revoked license, according to the patrol.
The results of the blood test have not been publicly revealed. The driver has not yet been charged, and WCCO typically does not name suspects before that point.
As of Saturday, Olson's family said she was in an induced coma to let her brain heal.
A bystander who helped Olson after the crash told WCCO the intersection is a dangerous stretch of road.
"People drive very fast, the visibility's not very good, the lights and just how things go isn't really making a lot of sense to me," Dan Griep said. "So hopefully the city or whomever decides to take a look at this and make some changes."
Note: The video above originally aired March 8, 2024.