Charges: Driver was on iPad learning English when he crashed and killed veteran Minnesota trucker

A pickup truck driver said he was learning English on his iPad when he went through a stop sign at a western Minnesota intersection and caused a fiery crash last week that killed a trucker, according to charges.

Georgii Gabiev, 32, of New York City, was charged Monday in Chippewa County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide and reckless driving in connection with the collision on March 5 that killed Timmy J. Tarnowski, 59, of Pelican Rapids, Minn.

Tarnowski was heading east on Hwy. 7 pulling a grain trailer full of sunflower seeds and a flatbed trailer when Gabiev failed to obey a stop sign while heading north on County Road 4 and collided with the truck, the charges read.

“Tim pursued a career that took him on the highways, logging an impressive 4.5 million miles as a trucker,” according to his online obituary. “He worked for STS Trucking for several years and since 2014 owned and operated his own trucking business.

“Tim took great pride in his truck, Max, and his unparalleled skill in navigating a 53′ trailer through intricate spaces.”

Gabiev was jailed Saturday and remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail ahead of a court appearance on March 25. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

According to the charges:

A state trooper sent to the intersection of Hwy. 7 and County Road 4 arrived shortly after 5 p.m. and saw a semitrailer truck on its side and engulfed in flames. Medics declared Tarnowski dead at the scene.

The trooper walked over to Gabiev’s pickup, looked for insurance documents inside and saw an iPad near the center console below the front dash that was still playing a YouTube video.

Gabiev told law enforcement that at the time of the crash, “he was listening to a program on an iPad that was teaching him how to speak English. ... He claimed to not have been looking at the iPad when he was driving.”