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A minnesota Van driver took brain injury patients on two-hour journey while drunk before colliding with an SUV, Police Tell.
Michael Edward Rahja Jr., 19, was driving last Thursday to group homes for TBI Residential and Community Services, which helps people with traumatic brain injuries.
According to a criminal complaint, there was a 59-year-old man and a 28-year-old man in his car as he was “driving at speeds above 100 mph and passing cars in and out of the driving lane.” Minnesota Star Tribune And Duluth News Tribune,
The complaint states that one of Rahja’s passengers told police that he had consumed alcohol before “driving recklessly for the last two hours”.
Rahja has survived several previous accidents during the trip thanks to the van’s automatic braking feature. But then he allegedly turned towards the oncoming traffic and collided with an SUV while trying to turn right.
The SUV rolled at least once, and the 60-year-old female driver suffered a broken pelvis, three fractured vertebrae and a concussion. It is not clear whether Rahja or his two passengers were injured.
Rahja later allegedly told police that he had recently drank half of a small bottle of vodka and smoked marijuana.
Police said a preliminary breath test found his blood alcohol content was 0.228 percent, nearly three times the legal limit for a driver at least 21 years old.
Rahja was arrested and charged with criminal operating a vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death, driving without a valid license and underage drinking in connection with the incident.
Information about Rahja’s attorney was not immediately clear. He remained in jail Tuesday with bail set at $75,000.
Rahja had previously been charged with driving under the influence when officers found him sleeping in a car parked at the end of a road in August. Minnesota Star Tribune Informed. That matter is pending.