A 17-year-old whom police called "an inexperienced driver" was driving his father's truck after dark and might have been reaching to turn on the headlights when he crossed the center line and caused a deadly accident in Lakeville last month, police said Wednesday.

Investigators have been looking at that possibility as they probe the crash that killed three members of the same family on Dec. 12, and police referred the case for possible criminal charges against the driver on Wednesday.

"I can confirm that the lights were operational, but they were not on at the time of the impact, so a possible theory is that he was trying to operate the lights," said Sgt. Andy Bohlen, head of the Lakeville Police investigative unit.

Bohlen said preliminary findings indicate that no alcohol or cell phone use by the teen contributed to the accident that killed Shirley Iverson, 71, her daughter, Debra Buhmann, 35, and Iverson's granddaughter, Alexis Iverson-Ferkul, 8, all of Lakeville.

The Dakota County attorney's office will consider charges of criminal vehicular homicide against the driver of the truck, Brandon Michael Iams of Dundas. He received his provisional driver's license five weeks before the crash.

"We certainly don't believe that this was an intentional act, and this is a tragedy that affects both families involved," Bohlen said, "but the fact that negligent driving claimed three lives certainly justifies close examination by the county attorney's office for appropriate charging."

Dml -, Star Tribune
Debra Buhmann

Iams had been at McDonald's at Ipava Avenue and County Road 50 and was heading west on 50, also known as Kenwood Trail, when the accident happened just before 7 p.m. that Saturday. After leaving the well-lit intersection near McDonald's, he headed west onto a dark stretch of road.

After the crash, Iams was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center and hospitalized. He was interviewed by police in Lakeville a week ago.

"He's the only one that can tell us exactly what happened, and he's still dealing with medical issues," Bohlen said, declining to elaborate.

"There are some things we may not ever know," he added.

The three victims were eastbound in a Hyundai Elantra sedan driven by Buhmann, aunt to the girl known as "Lexi." They all died in the car.

Lakeville Police Chief Tom Vonhof said it was "incomprehensible" for a family to lose three members in a single crash. "Our hearts go out to the family suffering this loss," he said Wednesday.

Bohlen said the teen had driven the truck before. It was unclear Wednesday whether Iams had ever driven the Chevy Silverado pickup at night or whether he had trouble locating the headlight switch. His parents could not be reached for comment.

Toxicology reports and a couple of other findings have yet to be completed and submitted to prosecutors, said Monica Jensen of the Dakota County attorney's office.

Records from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety show that Iams was issued a provisional driver's license on Nov. 5, 2009. That's the second step in three that minors take before getting a full driver's license.

State records show that Iams was ticketed for speeding in Rice County on Oct. 6, when he had an instructional permit. He paid $140 in a fine and fees for the petty misdemeanor.

Joy Powell • 952-882-9017