MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 71-year-old man has been sentenced for hitting and killing a man on a power scooter while under the influence of alcohol.
On Monday, Lyle Elmer White, of Hibbing, was specifically sentenced to 1 year in jail in connection to the Sept. 29, 2012, crash, which occurred on County Road 29. He previously pleaded guilty to the felony crime of criminal vehicular homicide.
According to the criminal complaint, White was driving a pickup truck around 12:18 p.m. on the day of the incident 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.
In addition to jail time, White was also ordered to pay a $1,085 fine, give a DNA sample, diagnostic evaluation and follow recommendations, no driving without license or insurance, chemical dependency evaluation and follow recommendations, no use or possession of alcohol and drugs and subject to random testing.
