A drunken teenager crashed his vehicle west of Duluth in the middle of the night over the weekend and killed one of his four passengers, authorities said.
Drunken teen driver crashes west of Duluth, killing passenger, police say
The late-night wreck left four injured; felony charges possible against the driver.
May 31, 2017 at 3:10AM
Austin D. Hilden, 18, drove his vehicle off the road about 3:50 a.m. at the intersection of Canosia Road and W. Arrowhead Road in Solway Township, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office.
Thrown from the overturned vehicle and killed was Axton D. Whitfield, 19, the Sheriff's Office said. Suffering noncritical injuries were Hilden and passengers Colin D. Ganem, 20; Terrance M. Wenzel, 19; and Dallas M. Vrooman, 20. All five are from the Duluth area.
"Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor" in the crash, the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Potential charges against Hilden include criminal vehicular homicide, criminal vehicular operation and drunken driving.
“This was certainly not an outcome that we were hoping would materialize, and we know that today’s path forward does not provide a perfect solution,” interim OCM director Charlene Briner said Wednesday.
