John Jefferson
News footage of the Sept. 12 bus crash that injured both drivers and several children (KMSP).
A Minnesota woman who was involved in a school bus crash that injured more than 20 children faces felony charges after police accused her of using Snapchat in the moments before impact.
Svea Snickers, 19, was charged on Dec. 26 with five felonies and 17 gross misdemeanor counts of criminal vehicular operation, months after the Sept. 12 crash that injured her, the driver of the bus she plowed into, and 21 children, the youngest of whom was 5 years old. The injuries were reported at the time to be mild to moderate and no one was killed.
According to police reports, Snickers blew through a stop sign in her Toyota RAV4 and plowed into the side of the school bus, causing it to roll over into a nearby ditch. An investigation revealed that she had taken a screencap in Snapchat “seconds before a 911 call was initiated.”
Snickers suffered the most serious injuries after the crash, and the 52-year-old driver of the school bus was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The charging documents stated that 10 of the children — who ranged from ages 5 to 17 — were taken to the hospital, five of them diagnosed with concussions or broken bones. Other injuries ranged from minor scrapes and cuts to bruising and pain.
In the charging documents obtained by Minneapolis ABC affiliate KSTP, Snickers allegedly admitted to Minnesota State Troopers in an interview a week after the crash that she was on her phone when the impact occurred. More specifically, she allegedly said she was sending a “voice text” on Snapchat. She then admitted that she was making a video. A search warrant was issued to investigate her phone, which showed that Snickers took a screenshot in Snapchat right before 911 calls were made reporting the crash, police said.
The criminal complaint obtained by Fox affiliate KMSP included the detail that Snickers was heading back to her home from her boyfriend’s house and reportedly sending the Snapchat text to a friend. She originally told state troopers that she had sent the text while driving on a different road before the crash took place. Her cellphone data reportedly revealed that it has been sent much closer to the time of the crash. Snickers was also charged with using an app while driving.
Vehicle data of Snickers’ obtained by Minnesota State Troopers also allegedly revealed that she was driving between 48-53 mph and did not use her brakes at the stop sign.
Snickers was charged via summons and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 30.
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