Driver charged in Lake Elmo crash that killed 5-year-old girl
LAKE ELMO, Minn. — A man is accused of being under the influence of alcohol and a controlled substance when he crashed into a stalled car, killing a 5-year-old girl, according to charges filed in Washington County on Monday.
The 47-year-old man from St. Paul was charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide — one for operating a vehicle in a grossly negligent manner and another for operating a vehicle while under the influence of any combination of alcohol or a controlled substance.
Around 8:45 p.m. on Jan. 20, a car was stalled in the left lane of eastbound Highway 36 at Lake Elmo Avenue in Lake Elmo. That's when another driver hit the vehicle from behind while traveling at "highway speeds."
There were two children in the stalled vehicle, a 5-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, along with their dad, who had been driving the vehicle. The girl, Morgan Rae Petersen, suffered life-threatening injuries and later died. The injuries to the other two were less serious.
Charges say a reconstruction of the crash revealed the suspect had been traveling at 62-63 mph at the point of impact but had been going as fast as 81 mph five seconds before the crash. The speed limit in the area is 65 mph.
Reconstruction experts for the Minnesota State Patrol noted the road had been clear and dry at the time of the incident and that the flashing lights of the stalled vehicle were visible from about a fourth of a mile away, charges say.
The state patrol filed a search warrant to get a blood sample from the driver, saying he smelled like alcohol. According to the warrant, the man admitted to law enforcement that he had consumed two beers "earlier."
A blood test done about four hours after the crash revealed the suspect had a blood alcohol concentration of .056 in addition to the presence of Clonazepam, which he is prescribed, according to the complaint.