On May 11, 2017, over five months after the tragic car crash at the intersection of Highway 96 and Old Highway 10, two cases of criminal vehicular homicide and a case of criminal vehicular operation were filed against Rachael Diane Kayl. The charges were filed for Kayl’s involvement in the crash that lead to the deaths of two Mounds View High School students (Bridget Giere, 11 and Stephanie Carlson, 11) and the serious injury of a third (Samantha Redden, 11). Redden suffered from a “collapsed lung, traumatic brain injury, significant blood loss and a ruptured spleen.” Kayl was visibly shaken, but otherwise uninjured.

According to the crash report prepared by Sergeant Daniel Dixon of the Minnesota State Patrol, Kayl’s car was travelling between 77 and 85 miles per hour, while Redden was driving between 20 and 21 miles per hour. The speed limit at the intersection where the crash occurred is 50 miles per hour.

Data from Kayl’s cellphone company showed that no texts were sent and no calls were made at the time of collision. Kayl did not exhibit any signs of intoxication, and Dixon found that weather and road conditions, medical circumstances and visual obstructions were not causal factors in the crash.

Authorities reported that following the collision, Kayl could not recall if the light was green or red, but she did recall that Redden seemed to hesitate and slow down while passing through the intersection. She also asked an officer at the scene, “Could I be charged if anyone dies?”

Kayl was taken into custody around 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 11 and appeared in court on Friday, May 12. Her bail was set at $150,000, and she is due in court again on June 12, 2017.

Find the full case file here.