Family Mourns St. Paul Woman Killed In Distracted Driving Crash

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 31-year-old mother from St. Paul has died, and troopers believe a distracted driver is to blame. The accident happened Sunday, and she was pronounced brain-dead Wednesday night.

Brea Miller's fiancé, Mike Bain, was driving as the pair headed north on I-35W Sunday in New Brighton. Troopers say as they slowed to stop with traffic, an SUV slammed into them from behind at highway speed.

Brea's sister Andrea Miller says they're still figuring out how to tell her 2-year-old daughter what happened.

"I had her the first night and she was asking for Mom and it was just like, 'Mom's busy, Mom's tired, she's taking a nap,'" Andrea said. 'And then she woke up, she was just like, 'Mom.' I just didn't know what to say."

Andrea wasn't supposed to be babysitting Sunday night, but Izzy's mom Brea and dad Mike were in a crash.

"From the very moment I got to the hospital, they said she had went 10 minutes without oxygen," Andrea said. "And so from the very first night they weren't terribly optimistic."

On Wednesday night she snapped a photo of herself and her sister holding hands, and holding on tight.

"Everybody had left so I was there alone and I was like, 'This is my last opportunity, probably, to capture us together," she said.

She talked to the sister she calls loving -- the kind who rushes to help people in hard times. Now, Andrea begins walking through a hard time of her own.

"Just knowing it was somebody's phone makes me so angry," Andrea said. "And I can admit that I've been a distracted driver, and it's just like, you never think you would hurt somebody doing that, but it happens."

She's not sure Izzy will remember Brea, but Andrea will make certain she knows her mother.

"All she ever wanted to be was a mom, so I'm really happy she had the opportunity, even though it was just for a little while," Andrea said.

Troopers wouldn't get into details about how the driver was distracted but say criminal charges are a possibility. Brea Miller's fiancé did survive, but has brain injuries. The family hopes he will raise Izzy.

If you'd like to help fund Izzy's future, you can donate to their GoFundMe page.