Official charges were filed Friday, Jan. 20 against a Lexington, Minnesota man that sent three high school students to Twin Cities hospitals after he “plowed” into them at an Otsego bus stop.
Beckett Olson, Greta Jenson and Ian Orina are all at Hennepin County Medical Center and listed in serious or critical condition after the accident, which happened near the intersection of 78th Street Northeast and Parrish Avenue in Otsego Thursday morning as the trio were in a group crossing the street to get to a waiting bus.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE:
Rogers High School Crash Victims Identified, Driver Charged
Three Rogers High School Students Struck While Waiting for School Bus
Investigators from the Wright County Sheriff’s Office say driver Cody Pech, 22, of Lexington drove his truck into the line of students, severely injuring the three Rogers High School students.
As a result, Pech faces three separate counts of felony criminal vehicular operation causing great bodily harm. Each of those counts carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. Pech is currently in custody in the Wright County Jail near Buffalo.
According to the charges filed Friday:
Bus driver Jane Moe, who has driven bus for more than a decade, had the bus stopped with her lights flashing. When she came to a complete stop after clearing the intersection of 78th Street and Parrish Avenue, she flashed her red lights and extended the stop arm on her bus. Moe “watched as the students began walking across 78th Street toward the bus. She indicated the vehicle traveling westbound on 78th street plowed into the students when they were in the westbound lane of traffic. She estimated the speed of the vehicle [Pech’s Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck] at 30 to 40 mph when the driver crashed into the students. She didn’t hear any tires squealing or other indication the vehicle slowed down prior to striking the students.” Moe also indicated two other students – who were also crossing the road – were not injured in the incident.
Wright County Sheriff’s Office deputies detained Pech at the scene and questioned him after advising the driver of his rights. Pech told investigators he “did not see a school bus nor did he see the flashing lights of the bus as he approached Parrish Avenue on 78th Street.” He also said he didn’t “see the students until it was too late and started to slam on the brakes.” He admitted he slid into the students, striking three with the front of his truck.
Students on the bus were transported via a different Vision Bus to Rogers High School. They were also interviewed by student resource officers at RHS, and told them the stop arm was extended as their classmates were crossing the street.
“It appears the defendant was driving in a grossly negligent manner at the time he crashed into the three students,” the complaint continues. Pech neglected to “see the extended stop arm. he neglected to see children walking from the bus stop across 78th Street toward the bus despite the presence of a streetlamp near the bus stop.” Pech also “exhibited a failure to exercise even a scant level of care” and his driving conduct amounts to “great negligence,” the report concludes.
All three students have been transported to Hennepin County Medical Center after first being taken to Mercy Hospital. Beckett Olson, 15, suffered the “most traumatic” injuries. Ian Orina, 15, has fractures and a bruised lung. Meanwhile Greta Jenson, 15, sustained broken ribs. Jenson and Olson are both in critical condition. Orina is in serious condition.
Pech is expected to make his first court appearance on these charges either Friday or Monday, Jan. 23. He has been cited for several moving violations, according to Minnesota Court Records. This is his second felony arrest and seventh arrest since 2013.