Mother charged in rollover crash that killed toddler had BAC twice the legal limit, charges say
The Minnesota State Patrol says a toddler is dead after a high-speed, rollover crash in Maplewood, and his mother, the alleged driver, now faces criminal charges.
The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Saturday near highways 36 and 61. The SUV ended up in a ditch, where 1-year-old Revon Todd of St. Paul was found dead.
On Monday morning, yellow lines could be found on the southbound exit ramp from Highway 36 to Highway 61. The lines show where a speeding driver lost control and crashed into a watery ditch.
Her Chevy Tahoe rolled over several times and landed upside down in about 2 feet of water. Some people driving by stopped and tried to help everyone get out of the vehicle.
The 28-year-old woman who was driving the SUV made it out safely along with a 32-year-old man who was a passenger. Two of the driver's boys, ages 5 and 6, also survived. But investigators said her 1-year-old son died after he became trapped under the SUV.
"It's terrible, it's horrible. You don't see a lot of accidents here on 61. But this coming off 36 here would be the spot. It's a pretty tight angle there," said Mike Rydel, who lives nearby.
State patrol investigators said the driver was distraught at the scene and asking first responders to help her son. She told them she had been driving her boys to their grandmother's, and she admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, but blamed the rain and bald tires for causing the crash, charging documents say.
Investigators said her blood alcohol concentration was more than twice the legal limit and they found small bottles of alcohol along the path the SUV took.
"I feel for the family, really. It's horrible," said Rydel.
The mother has been charged with one count of criminal vehicular homicide.