25 January 2024
The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash in Lake Elmo that caused the death of a 5-year-old St. Paul girl as a possible case of impaired driving, according to a court document filed this week.
A search warrant, signed by a Ramsey County judge, gave a trooper permission to obtain a blood draw from a 47-year-old St. Paul man.
The man was driving a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder at “highway speeds” when he crashed into a 2006 Ford Focus that had stalled in the left lane of eastbound 36 at Lake Elmo Avenue around 8:50 p.m. Saturday, according to the State Patrol.
No arrests have been made and no charges have been issued in the crash that caused the death of Morgan Rae Petersen.
Morgan died Sunday at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. Her father, Christopher Scott Petersen, 43, of St. Paul, and a 10-year-old passenger, Mason Scott Ries, also were taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for treatment, but their injuries were not considered life-threatening, according to the State Patrol.
Investigators determined that the 47-year-old was driving under the influence, according to the search warrant written by Trooper Brian Schwartz, because: “(The motorist) crashed into a vehicle stalled in the left lane with hazard lights flashing. I could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from (the motorist). He also admitted to drinking two beers earlier.”
The trooper noticed he wasn’t able to perform field sobriety tests or a preliminary breath test on the man “due to the ambulance wanting to leave.”
Schwartz took two vials of blood from the man at Regions Hospital for testing.
When Christopher Petersen’s vehicle stalled, he tried to move it, “knowing his kids were inside, but he couldn’t,” according to a GoFundMe fundraiser organized for the Petersen family to help cover funeral and medical expenses. It had raised more than $25,000 of its $30,000 goal as of Thursday afternoon.
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