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LOCAL NEWS

Witness: Driver was "fixing her hair" moments before crash

By Bea Chang
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Updated: 2 years ago

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The State Patrol is investigating whether distracted driving triggered a three vehicle crash that sent three people to the hospital.

The crash happened on eastbound 394 near Carlson Parkway just after 11:00 am.

The State Patrol says a 64-year-old man suffered a broken neck, and a 59-year-old woman in another vehicle suffered a broken arm.

Investigators say a 19 year old driver going eastbound lost control and crashed into the two other vehicles.

Witnesses tell KARE 11 and the State Patrol that driver had been driving erratically for miles, at one point fixing her hair in the mirror while driving.

"She was swerving and I saw her come close to the oncoming traffic on 15 so I laid on my horn and I think she paid attention," said Rebekah Marshall Patterson. "I saw her doing her hair and at that point we were just about to move onto Highway 12. When we moved onto Highway 23 I pulled up next to her... I have teenage kids. She needed to pay attention."

According to the State Patrol's web site, the person driving the car was a 19-year-old woman from Mound. She was not injured. The other two drivers suffered broken bones. One had a broken neck.

The State Patrol says distracted driving is the leading cause of crashes in Minnesota, blamed for 61 fatalities in 2007.

(Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)


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