Driver says bright sun obscured St. Paul pedestrian

Terrance L. Oliver told police he was blinded by the sun and never saw the woman he hit and killed Wednesday morning as she tried to cross University Avenue in St. Paul.

Although one of his passengers told him that he'd hit somebody, he didn't stop, he said, because he didn't have a driver's license and was scared, according to court documents.

Margaret (Peggy) Prowse, 59, died within hours.

Oliver, 45, was charged Friday in Ramsey County District Court with leaving the scene of a traffic accident resulting in death, a felony.

Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said Oliver "is charged with the most serious felony offense that is implicated by the facts." There is no evidence that he was driving negligently, Gaertner said, which is required for the more serious charge of criminal vehicular homicide.

Oliver, who also uses the first names Terrell and Terrelle, hasn't had a driver's license in more than 12 years. According to state records, he was cited for driving without a license 14 times between 1992 and 2002. His license was reinstated in September 1994 but suspended again seven months later for "failure to appear or pay fines."

St. Paul police Senior Cmdr. Gregory Pye said misdemeanor charges of driving after revocation aren't much of a deterrent to keeping unlicensed drivers off the road.

He'd also like to see an increased effort to recoup fines by withholding tax refunds, rebates or benefits.

"On any given day in St. Paul you probably have thousands of people driving without a license," Pye said. "They know they're not supposed to be driving. But they put their needs and wants above the law, above the courts and above the community."

Data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety show that 4 percent of drivers involved in crashes are unlicensed and unlicensed drivers are twice as likely to be involved in a fatal crash.

The deadly encounter

About 7:45 a.m Wednesday, Prowse was hurrying across University about 50 paces from the crosswalk at Fairview Avenue when she was hit, tossed into the air and landed on the center median.

Although one witness told police the car that hit Prowse was going 45 miles per hour, another who was directly behind the car said it was going about 30 mph. Both witnesses said the car made no attempt to stop.

About 7 p.m. Wednesday, an informant told police that two women had been in the car, the document said. Those women led police to Oliver, who was arrested at his home in the 1500 block of Charles Avenue. Prowse lived less than a block away.

Oliver told police he had bought the car a week earlier, and said he was going 25 to 30 mph when he hit Prowse.

He said he stopped after the accident, but didn't stay because he didn't have a license.

Oliver's criminal record includes convictions for check forgery, theft and other offenses. He pleaded guilty last May to domestic assault and in July received a stayed sentence of 18 months, as called for under state sentencing guidelines.

"We're devastated, we're hurt, we're angry," they added Friday.

Gaertner said that criminal vehicular homicide "is not a chargeable offense in this case because there is no evidence that Mr. Oliver ... was in any way driving negligently.

The witnesses were all consistent in saying that he was driving at an appropriate speed, he had the right of way, he was in the correct lane and the victim stepped in front of his ... vehicle.

"He should have stopped and it is criminal that he did not, and that's what we'll seek to hold him accountable for," she said.

Services for Prowse will be at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Bradshaw Funeral Home, 1078 Rice St., St. Paul, with visitation from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. A fund has been established for Prowse's family at Bremer Bank. Donations can be sent to any branch.