Lakeville police working to piece together cause of fatal crash

Lakeville police said Monday they're trying to figure out why a teenage driver's pickup truck crossed a center line and smashed head-on into a sedan, killing members of three generations of a Lakeville-area family.

Police said they are checking into several factors that may have caused the accident, including whether the teen could have been texting or talking on a cell phone.

"We're still digging into that," Detective Sgt. Andy Bohlen said. "Anything's possible. We certainly don't know at this point what caused it, but we want to find out for all those involved. We want to try to see if we can narrow down what caused this tragedy."

Police said they could not release the teen's name because of the potential for charges against the juvenile.

There's nothing to indicate that alcohol and drugs were a factor, but nothing has been ruled out, Bohlen said.

"We just really want to find out why this happened," he said.

The 17-year-old youth is from tiny Dundas in rural Rice County.

Police said the teen's truck crossed the center line on County Road 50, just west of Ipava Avenue, and struck the sedan driven by Debra Ann Buhmann, 34, just before 7 p.m. Saturday.

She died at the scene, along with her mother, Shirley Ann Iverson, 71, and Buhmann's niece, Alexis Rose Iverson, 8.

The victims were returning home from Christmas shopping. A fund was set up at all Anchor Bank Monday for their survivors.

The teen driving the truck attends Christian Life School in Farmington, where associate pastor the Rev. Darin Kindle said there was much grief Monday.

"This is a tragic moment for this young man," Kindle said, "and his life will never be the same."

"This kid's still hurt, so we're trying to piece things together," Bohlen, of the Lakeville police, said.

"He's still not in good shape ... we're still trying to get a good statement from him."

Bohlen said police know where the teen was just before the collision. But Bohlen would not disclose that information, saying police were checking into whether it may have played a role in the crash.

Authorities said they are also investigating whether the truck could have had mechanical problems. The Minnesota State Patrol is assisting investigators with accident reconstruction, which could take months.

"It's going to be some time before we will have a formal determination," said Lakeville Police Capt. Kevin Manias.

"Our hearts are very heavy for that," Kindle said.

"Even if he was purely innocent in so many ways, what would that be like to carry that for the rest of your life?" the pastor said.

"And now, if there is a level of responsibility, think of that overwhelming nature of that burden."