Warrants: Witnesses describe fatal Highway 218 crash; patrol searching cell records
(ABC 6 News) – Witnesses to a fatal crash on Highway 218 north of Lyle said an Austin teen’s vehicle swerved into a Rockwell woman’s lane, according to Mower County warrants.
Whin Gay, a 17-year-old from Austin, Minnesota, and 25-year-old Jacie Mae Weaver from Rockwell, Iowa, both died in a head-on crash north of Lyle on Sept. 24.
RELATED: UPDATE: Names of Austin teen, Iowa woman killed in crash released – ABC 6 News – kaaltv.com
Gay had not been wearing a seatbelt. Alcohol was not considered a factor in the crash, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
According to new documents, the crash occurred in the northbound lane of US Highway 218, where Weaver had been driving a Ford Transit.
Weaver’s vehicle went into the northbound lane’s ditch, with pre-impact brake and skid marks where the Rockwell woman had veered to the shoulder.
There were no pre-impact brake marks from Gay’s Kia. Witnesses described Gay’s vehicle crossing over the center line and colliding with Weaver’s transit as she attempted to “get further over toward the shoulder to avoid the crash, but was not able to avoid it.”
Gay’s phone was located in the front driver’s seat, severely damaged, according to the warrant.
The Minnesota State Patrol requested information about Gay’s cell phone use, including voice calls and text messaging, shortly before the crash.