A St. Paul woman was charged in Dakota County Court with misdemeanor counts of careless driving and driving with a license Jan. 31. The charges against Maria De Los Angeles Garcia Galindo, 29, stem from an accident April 29 on Hwy. 52 in Hampton Township that claimed the life of a 3-year-old boy, Sebastian Chavez Garcia.
According to the complaint, road construction on Hwy. 52 had diverted all traffic into the two southbound lanes, one traveling north and one traveling south. The driver of a southbound semi told investigators a Toyota Camry crossed the centerline, and he was unable to avoid impact. The truck’s dash camera showed the Camry drift from the northbound lane to the northbound shoulder. The vehicle then corrected out of the shoulder area, crossed the centerline and entered the southbound lane directly into the semi’s path.
Galindo and the young passenger were both ejected from the Camry. Galindo was transported to the hospital with critical injuries. Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Minnesota State Patrol crash reconstruction concluded that the primary factor in the crash was Galindo’s failure to maintain control of her vehicle and stay within her lane of travel.