CHARGES: Driver on Snapchat Hit Motorcyclist Head-on
A 25-year-old Elk River woman is charged with one felony count of criminal vehicular operation after admitting to being distracted by her cell phone when she crashed head-on into a motorcyclist last June.
Officers were sent to Highway 47 near the Anoka County Fairgrounds in Anoka on reports of a minivan that had collided head-on with the motorcyclist. Several witnesses reported seeing the motorcyclist being thrown from the vehicle and flipping through the air before landing on the pavement.
Officers arrived and found the motorcyclist lying in a pool of antifreeze, with a severely broken arm and other life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Mercy Hospital to be stabilized before being brought to a metro trauma center.
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The criminal complaint filed in court accuses Abigail Labotskiy, 25, of Elk River, of speeding and using her cell phone just before the crash on June 25, 2022.
State Troopers examined Labotskiy’s cell phone which showed that before the collision, Labotskiy used Snapchat multiple times, including to send video messages showing her actively driving and talking with the camera facing her, using Apple Maps to search for a location in Wayzata, accessing Spotify and making multiple phone calls.
A Crash Reconstruction Specialist from the Minnesota State Patrol determined the primary cause of the crash was Labotskiy’s failure to maintain her lane and crossing over the centerline. A secondary factor was Labotskiy’s distracted driving, the documents said. No mechanical defects, visual obstructions, roadway defects or maintenance issues were noted that would have contributed to the crash.
Labotskiy was charged via summons and is expected to make an initial court appearance in July. She faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
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