A Missouri man who hit and killed two construction workers on Interstate 35W in Burnsville in October 2011 pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of careless driving.
Kirk E. Deamos, 23, was sentenced by Dakota County District Judge Arlene Perkkio to 30 days in jail, 200 hours of community work service and a $100 fine.
Craig Carlson, 47, of Ramsey, and Ronald Rajkowski, 44, of St. Joseph, Minn., were killed while working as electricians at a construction site along the road.
County Attorney Jim Backstrom said that under current Minnesota law, felony charges were not possible in the case because no alcohol or drugs were involved, gross negligence could not be proven and Deamos did not flee the scene.
Backstrom has been pursuing stiffer penalties for careless or negligent driving resulting in death at the Legislature since 2007.
"This is another tragic example of the need to have a law in place that deals with taking negligent risks while driving that reflect it is more serious to hit and kill a human being than it is to damage a mailbox," Backstrom said.
Deamos, of Raymore, Mo., said he looked down to adjust his car's cruise-control right before he lost control, veered off the road and hit Carlson and Rajkowski on Oct. 13, 2011. The crash happened near McAndrews Road.
PAT PHEIFER
