MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 71-year-old man has been charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide for allegedly hitting and killing a man on a power scooter while under the influence.
The Itasca County Attorney’s Office charged Lyle Elmer White, of Hibbing, on Monday for the Sept. 29 crash, which occurred on County Road 29.
According to the charges, White was driving a pickup truck around 12:18 p.m. on Sept. 29 in the eastbound lane of County Road 29 when he saw a person in a power scooter at the top of a hill and could not stop in time.
White told police he had not been drinking.
White was transported to Bigfork Hospital where it was determined he had an alcohol concentration of 0.09.
During the reconstruction of the crash, it was determined that the person on the power scooter failed to yield the right of way and made a U-turn directly in front of the pickup driven by White.
Police say while White slammed on his brakes and tried to avoid the collision, he was traveling at an excessive speed of 63-65 mph in a 45-mph zone. Police say White’s alcohol impairment was a major factor contributing to the crash — they said White likely would’ve been able to stop in time had he not been impaired by alcohol.
White told police he had a small shot of brandy at about 4 a.m. and did not drink anything else after that. He also said he knew he was going 40 mph in that area because he does not speed.
White will make his first appearance in Itasca County District Court on Nov. 21 at 1:15 p.m.
