Prosecutors in western Minnesota have filed a gross misdemeanor charge of reckless driving against a college hockey player from Lakeville following a 2023 crash that killed one of her teammates.
The fatal crash one year ago at a four-way stop about 25 miles west of Willmar involved an SUV carrying four members of the Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey team returning home to St. Peter from a weekend trip to Aberdeen, S.D.
Gianna Kate Gasparini, 20, of Lakeville, was driving a Chevrolet Equinox carrying three of her fellow teammates. Jori Lynn Jones, 19, of Little Canada, died as a result of her injuries. The other two passengers were Lily Mortenson, of Champlin, and Kayla Marie Bluhm, of Chisago City.
The criminal complaint filed this week in Chippewa County District Court accuses Gasparini of not stopping at the intersection of Minnesota Highways 40 and 29, and striking a Dodge Caravan minivan crossing the intersection at around 12:40 p.m. on Aug. 23, 2023.
The allegations are based on the findings of an accident reconstruction report by the Minnesota State Patrol and statements by a witness.p headlines f St. Clod LIVE 5-30-24 fixed
According to the criminal complaint, a witness told a State Patrol trooper that the Dodge minivan, driven by Brandi Kay Rasmussen, of Benson, had stopped at the intersection and was proceeding southbound when the collision occurred. The witness said the Equinox did not stop and appeared to be going a little over 60 mph, according to the complaint.
The accident reconstruction report stated that Gasparini was traveling at 78 mph prior to the crash and struck the minivan at 55 to 65 mph.
In interviews following the crash, Gasparini told the State Patrol that she had not traveled on the road previously and did not notice it was a four-way intersection “until way too late.” She said her front seat passenger told her there was a stop sign just a few feet before the vehicle entered the intersection and she hit the brakes.
Gasparini had no alcohol in her system, and was not distracted at the time of the accident, according to the complaint. She told an investigator at the Montevideo hospital after the crash that she had not taken her medication for ADHD that morning, which she said helps her focus better.
The driver of the minivan, Rasmussen, said she had looked both ways before proceeding into the intersection.
“I didn’t see anything and then I went and all of a sudden, I’m just turning over and turning over and turning over,” the criminal complaint states she told a state trooper at the crash scene.
Gasparini and her passengers were transported to the hospital in Montevideo. Emergency responders began administering CPR to Jones at the scene, and it was stopped when she was pronounced dead approximately one hour after the collision was reported, according to information in the criminal complaint and accident report.
Gasparini has been summoned to appear Sept. 23 on the single charge. She is not under arrest but has been ordered to report to the county sheriff’s office to complete the booking process before her court appearance.
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