Bad night...

[Moto]

There was a really bad car accident right down the street from my apartment tonight. Looked like someone died on impact. Defiantly not going to be a fun memory....

I assume it was probably a drunk driver. I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow.

[TheHolyGhost]

Sorry Moto, when I was a kid I was out with my brother on a creek with our inflatable dinghy. When we were on our way back there were a few fire dept. boats blocking the way. We watched them pull the body of a kid that had jumped off the railroad bridge out of the water. You'll move on, it definitely wasn't pleasant though.

[Moto]

An intoxicated driver who was fleeing the scene of a traffic stop early Saturday morning broadsided a car carrying four young adults, killing two of them and seriously injuring a third, at a Grand Forks intersection, authorities said.

About 1:30 a.m., Officer Matt Beland was on routine patrol when he spotted a mid-90s Chevrolet Lumina heading south on Columbia Road. The black car ran a red light at the intersection with University Avenue, so Beland, who’s with the UND Police Department, pulled the car over just before the Columbia Road overpass.

As Beland came to the driver’s door, the car sped away — up and across the overpass.

UND Chief Duane Czapiewski said Beland pursued the car, which kept south on Columbia. How fast the suspect was driving has not been determined, Czapiewski said.

“We assume he was traveling at a high rate of speed,” he said.

The fleeing driver went 1.3 miles on Columbia, a roughly three-minute drive if you’re going the speed limit. The pursuit ended at Columbia and 17th Avenue South, when the suspect’s car slammed into a Pontiac G6 that was heading east on 17th. The Pontiac, a silver four-door sedan, had the green light, Czapiewski said.

Inside the Pontiac were four young people from Grand Forks.

- James Freestone, 21, was killed on impact.

- Tasha Brenno, 19, was taken to Altru Hospital, less than a half mile away from the crash scene, where she died sometime afterward.

- Kathryn Olson, 22, was transported to Altru; she remains in serious condition in the intensive care unit.

- Michael Badurek, 18, was treated at the hospital and released.

The fleeing suspect, 24-year-old Celso Garza, had no one else in his vehicle. Garza of East Grand Forks was treated at Altru. He was then taken to the Grand Forks County Correctional Center where he was booked at 6 a.m., a jail spokeswoman said.

Czapiewski said the Pontiac was struck on the driver’s side in the middle toward the rear of the car. After that collision, the suspect’s car spun and hit a third vehicle with two people inside. Those two escaped injury; the car sustained minor damage.

Czapiewski was not sure where Beland, the pursuing officer, was on Columbia when the crash occurred. When Beland came upon the scene, he called for assistance from paramedics, firefighters and other officers at 1:40 a.m., the chief said.

Czapiewski, who also responded to the crash scene, said the Pontiac carrying the four young adults was mangled to the point that authorities could not tell where the victims had been sitting. Nor could they tell whether the victims were wearing seatbelts. One person had to be extricated from the car, Czapiewski said.

The four victims worked at the Hugo’s grocery, across from Altru, near where the crash occurred, store manager Rick Dierker said.

Their co-workers said the Pontiac, a 2009, belonged to Olson and that she’d just gotten it. They were certain she would have been driving.

Czapiewski said, at this point, there’s no evidence to suggest the victims had been drinking. He said authorities at the hospital took a blood sample from Garza, which will be analyzed for the presence of drugs and alcohol.

After the crash, marijuana, a pipe, and an open alcoholic beverage were found in Garza’s possession, the chief said.

Midmorning on Saturday, Czapiewski said the victims’ families had been notified.

“The families always have questions which is understandable. They need them answered, so you try to answer them with the most accurate information at the time and not secondhand,” he said.

The Grand Forks Police Department is investigating the crash and the state Highway Patrol is assisting by analyzing skid marks and trying to determine distances vehicles traveled and their speeds.

“This is going to take some time to put together,” Czapiewski said.

Czapiewski couldn’t recall the last time two people died in a Grand Forks vehicle crash. “I haven’t had time to think about it, but I’m sure it’s a long time,” he said.

State’s Attorney Peter Welte said Garza will face two counts of manslaughter, two counts of reckless endangerment along with charges of driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, possession of a marijuana pipe, having an open alcoholic beverage in a vehicle, driving with a revoked license, disregarding a red light and fleeing a police officer in a vehicle.

Welte said charges would be filed Monday. At 3 p.m. that day, Garza will make his initial appearance in state District Court and have his bail set, he said.

Welte did not know if Garza had an attorney. Messages left at the jail for him were not immediately returned Saturday.

According to the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s website, Garza was convicted of two counts of aggravated robbery in 2004 and sentenced to four years with the state Department of Corrections. At that time, he gave officials a Crookston address.

He was charged with underage drinking twice in 2003. In one case, he had a blood-alcohol level of .19. The legal limit for drivers in Minnesota and North Dakota is .08.

Welte and Czapiewski did not know why Garza’s license had been revoked.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/a ... id/164157/

[TheHolyGhost]

That's absolutely terrible. It always seems like it's the innocent people who suffer the worst in situations like this. The drunk/high driver always seems to escape with minor injuries.

[lookin]

very sad indeed