A Twin Cities ambulance driver has been charged with three misdemeanors for crashing into a disabled semitrailer truck in Brooklyn Center and killing her partner.
Susanna G. Kelly, 28, of St. Louis Park, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with careless driving, failure to drive with due care and improper lane change in connection with the death of Marina G. DeSteno Challeen, 24, of St. Paul, early in the evening on Oct. 9 where Interstate 694 and I-94 split in Brooklyn Center.
DeSteno Challeen had been an EMT with HealthEast for about a year, had a degree in anthropology from the University of Minnesota and wanted to go to medical school but chose EMT training, according to her family.
Kelly told authorities she was trying to exit onto eastbound I-94, realized she needed to get over to the right and never saw the semi sitting on the apex with a tow truck, the criminal complaint read.
Kelly suffered noncritical injuries in the crash. Neither the semi's driver nor the tow truck operator was hurt.
The ambulance was between calls at the time and had no patients aboard.
Kelly was charged by summons and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 4. A telephone message was left for Kelly seeking her reaction to the allegations.
She remains employed by HealthEast but not as an ambulance driver, a spokesman for the health provider said Monday.