One of the drivers in a fatal crash New Year's Eve northeast of Byron was in the wrong lane, an analysis shows, leading to criminal charges against the 19-year-old.
Jordan Christopher Wilde, of Byron, has been charged in Olmsted County District Court with one count of felony criminal vehicular homicide. His first appearance has been set for Aug. 31.
Crash reconstruction work completed by members of the Minnesota State Patrol and the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office indicate Wilde's car was driving west in the eastbound lane of Olmsted County Road 4 , also known as Valleyhigh Road Northwest.
The vehicle was traveling about 62 mph when it crashed into an eastbound car driven by Daniel Joseph Pyfferoen , 60, also of Byron. His vehicle ended up in the south ditch; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
There were no "pre-collision skid marks or post-collision gouge or skid marks" from Wilde's vehicle, the report says.
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Wilde gave a brief statement at the scene to a deputy, denying drinking any alcohol, but admitting he'd smoked marijuana prior to the collision, the criminal complaint says.
He said he felt "OK" when asked if he felt impaired; a preliminary breath test confirmed he hadn't consumed alcohol, the court documents say, and Wilde denied taking any other drugs.
A blood sample proved "impossible, due to the medical care provided to Wilde" after the crash, the document continues, but a urine sample was collected at 2:37 a.m. Jan. 1.
The crash was reported at 10:56 p.m.
The toxicology report from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was allegedly positive for marijuana and alprazolam, a controlled substance that's sold under the brand name Xanax .
