Shakopee Teen Charged In Eagan Crash That Hurt Baby, 2 Others
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 17-year-old female from Shakopee has been charged in a July crash in Eagan that caused serious injuries to a 15-month old child and left two others hurt, according to the Dakota County Attorney's Office.
The female was charged with one felony count of criminal vehicular operation involving gross negligence and one misdemeanor count of careless driving in connection with the July 17 crash. The accident happened at about 8:40 a.m. near the area of Diffley and Nicols Roads.
According to the charges, officers were called to the accident in Eagan and saw that two vehicles had sustained front-end damage. One vehicle contained a mother, a 15-month-old boy and an adult friend. The other vehicle was being driven by the 17-year-old female. She told police she was heading to school on three hours of sleep and that she was looking at her phone reading a text message when she made a left turn from Diffley Road onto Nicols Road.
The complaint states she ran into the oncoming vehicle, which she did not see. Other witnesses at the scene said she was looking down and not paying attention to the road at the time of the crash.
The 15-month-old boy suffered serious injuries and was taken to Regions Hospital before being transferred to Gillette Children's Hospital. The boy was eventually released. The child's mother and her friend were taken to Regions Hospital with fractures and both were diagnosed with soft-tissue injuries to their ankles, lower legs and chests.
The female driver is scheduled to make her first appearance in Dakota County Court On Nov. 25.