A driver was making a business phone call when he failed to yield and crossed into the path of an SUV southwest of St. Cloud, causing a crash that killed the other motorist, according a criminal complaint.
Robert D. Neumiller was charged Friday in Stearns County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the collision about 10 a.m. on July 12, 2019, at Interstate 94 and Hwy. 23 that killed Arlene Van Beck, 82, of Cold Spring, Minn.
Neumiller, 44, of Albertville, Minn., was charged by summons and ordered to appear in court Dec. 28.
In a telephone interview Monday morning, Neumiller said he began moving when a semitrailer truck and a pickup truck ahead of him did, and "I don't remember anything else after that."
He said the impact left him with a traumatic brain injury that continues to require treatment.
Despite extensive publicity campaigns by law enforcement, distracted driving deaths persist. So far this year, there have been 27 in Minnesota, according a preliminary count by the state Department of Public Safety.
According to the complaint:
Neumiller had stopped his SUV on an exit ramp from westbound I-94 to Hwy 23. He then entered the intersection and was struck broadside by Van Beck's SUV as she traveled northeast on Hwy. 23.
