2 killed after 2 teen drivers collide in White Bear Township

A 17-year-old driver and his mother are dead after their car crashed with an SUV going the wrong way.

[A mom]

How sad! As the mom of two teen drivers, my heart goes out to the families of both kids.

[huhhh]

She has non life threatening injuries and was probably talking on her cellphone or adjusting her makeup. Criminal charges should be filed against her.

[Dude]

I'm sorry for both families. I feel bad for the girl who was driving in the wrong lane. Ten bucks she was talking on a cell phone with her foot hanging out the window!

[Mary Johnson]

Dude wrote:

I'm sorry for both families. I feel bad for the girl who was driving in the wrong lane. Ten bucks she was talking on a cell phone with her foot hanging out the window!

Exactly!!!

[Rylyn A]

Dude wrote:

Ten bucks she was talking on a cell phone with her foot hanging out the window!

I'll double your $10 and say she was texting with her foot on the dashboard.

Either way, it's very sad the family lost 2 of their loved ones in an instant and this young girl has to live with knowing she was the cause for their death.

[MN Gal]

How do they punish the girl in this case?? will they take her license at all?? charge her with homocide??

[p behr]

how can you be so cruel and make such comments on an accident that has claimed 2 lives. even if the early reports are true, this teen driver will live with this the rest of her life. and i heard nothing about a cell phone, did you? you should be ashamed of yourself

[Rylyn A]

p behr wrote:

i heard nothing about a cell phone, did you? you should be ashamed of yourself

The accident site does not have any skid marks on the road. Just white stuff from the cleanup of fluids. No skid marks means someone never hit the brakes to stop.
What would cause someone to not try and stop...? Playing with a CD? Radio Station? Text messaging? Applying makeup? Looking for a cell phone?

As I stated in my above post I do feel for both sides of those involved. No reason for me to be 'ashamed' because I have an opinion.

[jon m Excelsior MN]

Why does the media always feel compelled to mention the type of vehicle when ever an "SUV" is involved in a fatal crash? How come you never hear about it when some chic in a Prius runs someone over? Or how about a Volvo or a Subaru? I'll help you out with the answer. It's because they're tenderizing us for the next big liberal-nanny-state-control every aspect of your life move, so now we are going to tell you what you can drive (but it's for your own good so it's OK). Mark my words folks, it's the next big liberal crusade and of course it will reduce global warming. SUVs are the new evil threat.(of course if we all drove them there would be far fewer fatalities but never mind) Yipee, Al Bore sucked the gray matter from my brain too!

[Wil]

Rylyn A wrote:

<quoted text>
The accident site does not have any skid marks on the road. Just white stuff from the cleanup of fluids. No skid marks means someone never hit the brakes to stop.
What would cause someone to not try and stop...? Playing with a CD? Radio Station? Text messaging? Applying makeup? Looking for a cell phone?
As I stated in my above post I do feel for both sides of those involved. No reason for me to be 'ashamed' because I have an opinion.

I agree with Rylin. The opinion is not without foundation, and certainly not warranting shame. Open your eyes and observe many of todays young drivers. As for the "teen" having to live with the the truly tragic consequences of her self-absorbed act, don't bet on pc life-changing remorse and serious acts of atonement.

[p behr]

i'm glad to hear you have never turned your radio station as you drove. i guess we can all learn from you

[DDR]

This is very, very sad. Why does it always seem the person who causes the accident very rarely gets hurt. As a person who had a loved one taken in a MVA, I can relate to this statement. My 17 yr old niece is dead, the driver of the car she was in barely hurt at all and the other vehicle's passengers also not hurt. I realize the at fault person has to deal with this the rest of his/her life, but still where is the justice in that? I don't mean to sound so cruel, but having lived through this nightmare, it really just hits home a little too close.

[Drew Down]

Jon M, I mostly agree with you with regard to the media's frequency of reporting SUVs negatively; however, in this case, there is journalistic value in it. Noting that the occupant of the vehicle that survived with relatively minor injuries was in a bigger vehicle--in this case, an SUV--provides an explanation to the reader as to why she survived in rather good shape; whereas the two people in the smaller, lighter Buick both died.

Failing to take note of the respectable difference in class of vehicles involved in THIS specific instance would not be good journalism. Now would it be reported if this were a large pickup truck or panel van, instead of an SUV? Who knows, but knowing how one vehicle was no match for the other should be noted.

[Rylyn A]

jon m Excelsior MN wrote:

Why does the media always feel compelled to mention the type of vehicle when ever an "SUV" is involved in a fatal crash?

Maybe because it's such a mangled mess you can't really tell what it was after the crash?

[KAS]

huhhh wrote:

She has non life threatening injuries and was probably talking on her cellphone or adjusting her makeup. Criminal charges should be filed against her.

Don't judge what you don't know. This girl might have had a medical condition which caused the accident and you make a stupid comment like that.

[Curly]

Why is it that most times the person at fault is unscathed and the innocent are the ones who are injured or killed? In this case I would call it vehicular homicide because I would agree that it is very likely that the driver of the SUV was not driving attentively.

My heart goes out to the victims families. They've lost a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend.

[Lisa]

This is such a terrible trajedy on so many levels. It was a mistake that took two lives and hopefully the young woman responsible can over come this horrible mistake. We need to look at how much time is spent teaching young people to drive. A multiple choice driving test and a few hours of training behind the wheel is not enough.

[Rylyn A]

p behr wrote:

i'm glad to hear you have never turned your radio station as you drove. i guess we can all learn from you

I never killed 2 people in a car accident or in any other way.

[Cynical]

Was she talking on a cell phone and not paying attention?

[JCT]

KAS wrote:

<quoted text>
Don't judge what you don't know. This girl might have had a medical condition which caused the accident and you make a stupid comment like that.

Right - we don't know....as far as we can tell, it may have been a suicide attempt as those two other teen head-on collisions this spring, one in LinoLakes and one in ChisagoLakes.