Hwy 7 crash: Driver set to face trial in crash that seriously injured Hopkins student
(FOX 9) - On Monday in Hennepin County, the trial of Minnesota versus Mohamed Aydarus Salad begins.
If convicted of criminal vehicular operation, the 29-year-old could spend five years behind bars, after prosecutors say he caused a crash in March.
On Mar. 5, Lauren Olson was turning left at the intersection of Highway 7 and Williston Road, when her vehicle was broadsided. Behind the wheel, investigators say Salad drove in the shoulder, at 96 miles per hour just five seconds before the crash, while running a red light.
His license was already revoked at time, after more than a dozen previous driving-related run-ins with the law.
Charges filed in crash that injured Hopkins teen
Charges have been filed in connection to a violent crash that put Hopkins teenager Lauren Olson in the hospital for weeks. The charges came five months after the crash happened, and court records say the alleged driver had a suspended license and was traveling nearly 100 mph just before the collision.
Personal injury attorney Michael Bryant - who is not associated with this case - says that extensive driving history may be kept from jurors.
"You can’t have a person convicted because of past things," Bryant told FOX 9 on Sunday. "You have to be convicted of this offense, so they sometimes let things in, and sometimes they don’t because they are so similar they don’t want the jury to convict on those things."
After the crash, Olson spent a week in a coma, during a month-long stay in the hospital with broken bones and a severe traumatic brain injury. A GoFundMe campaign brought in $82,000 for the teenager. However, Bryant says that public support will have to be kept out of the courtroom.
"They will tell people in the crowd, you can’t have outbursts, you can’t respond to things, you can’t get emotional, because the jury shouldn’t be affected by things that happen outside of the actual witness stand or the evidence they see," Bryant said. He expects the trial will run for about one week.
"Sometimes the goal is to get the best possible deal for the person," Bryant finished.