Driver involved in fatal crash has drunken-driving record

Article by: ABBY SIMONS , Star Tribune
Updated: November 24, 2009 - 9:33 PM

Authorities wait to question a driver in crash that killed a teen in St. Michael.

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A driver involved in a head-on collision that killed a Buffalo High School student on Saturday had faced drunken driving charges twice before, according to court documents.

Todd Albert Lifto, 44, of St. Michael, was taken to Mercy Hospital, but he is expected to recover, said Lt. Greg Howell of the Wright County Sheriff's Office. Lifto will be questioned about the accident after he is released from the hospital, Howell said. He would not comment on whether Lifto's blood-alcohol level was tested after Saturday's collision.

Jonathon Kramnic, 17, of Brooklyn Center, was killed when his westbound 1998 Toyota Camry collided with Lifto's eastbound 2001 Chevrolet Silverado on County Road 35 near Jamison Avenue in St. Michael. There were no passengers in either vehicle. Kramnic, soccer standout at Buffalo High, was on his way to visit friends.

In 2005, Lifto was charged in Wright County with multiple counts of gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation and third-degree driving while impaired following a hit-and-run crash that left another man with a minor head cut. Lifto's blood-alcohol level after that crash was 0.24 percent, three times the legal limit, according to court records.

He was convicted of criminal vehicular operation causing bodily harm with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or more. He was sentenced to 30 days in the Wright County jail, plus probation.

On Sept. 28, Lifto was again arrested and charged with third-degree driving while impaired while in St. Michael.

Abby Simons • 612-673-4921