Teen seriously injured in Minnetonka crash making strides in her recovery

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota teen seriously injured in a crash earlier this month is showing signs of progress in her long road to recovery.

A driver without a license slammed into 17-year-old Lauren Olson's SUV while she was making a lefthanded turn off Highway 7 in Minnetonka on March 5.

According to a CaringBridge post from Sunday, Olson is awake and following voices. While she is still on breathing and feeding tubes, her medical team hopes to remove Olson from her ventilator in the next few days.

RELATED: Authorities suspect driver in Minnetonka crash that injured teen was impaired, search warrant shows

"The doctors and nurses are blown away by her progress over the past 24 hours. They said she has made amazing strides! I am truly in awe of her. Her heart, her fight. It is like nothing I have ever seen," Nicole Mitchell wrote.

Olson is also able to move her arms and legs, though with some agitation, according to the latest update. She's even able to smile.

Olson plays lacrosse at Hopkins High School. Her teammates spoke to WCCO in the days following the crash.

"We're going to be a lot stronger because of this and to do it for her, I know she's going to be with us," Tori Katzenmeyer said.

Several people raced to Olson's rescue after the crash. They used a knife to cut Olson's airbags and a crowbar to get her door open while doing whatever they could to comfort her.

No charges have been filed related to the crash, but the Minnesota State Patrol filed and executed a search warrant to obtain the other driver's blood. According to the patrol, the 29-year-old driver from Minneapolis was speeding and ran a red light before the crash. Authorities said the man was "confused, non-communicative, incoherent" after the collision. The driver has a revoked license and at least 12 traffic convictions since 2014.

NOTE: The video above originally aired on March 8, 2024.