Crash that killed Gustavus hockey player leads to criminal charge for driver, teammate

Gustavus Adolphus community dealt tragic loss

A two-vehicle collision in western Minnesota left three members of the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey team injured and another teammate dead Sunday afternoon, resulting in the entire community grieving their loss.

CHIPPEWA COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - The teammate who was driving an SUV during a crash last year that took the life of a Gustavus hockey player, 19-year-old Jori Lynn Jones, is now facing a criminal charge.

What happened

The fatal two-vehicle crash in western Minnesota happened around 12:40 p.m. on Aug. 20, 2023, at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 40 in Grace Township, Chippewa County.

The SUV driver, 20-year-old Gianna Kate Gasparini of Lakeville, is charged with gross misdemeanor reckless driving for the incident.

Three other players inside the SUV were treated for injuries described as non-life-threatening.

The 28-year-old driver of the other vehicle, a van, also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Law enforcement investigation

The criminal complaint states a trooper with the Minnesota State Patrol spoke to Gasparini shortly after the crash in a hospital emergency room. During that time, Gasparini said she had never traveled on that route before and believed she was going about 68 mph right before the crash.

The complaint also quotes Gasparini as saying, "I feel like I didn't notice that it was a four-way intersection until way too late." Gasparini also told the trooper that a friend in the SUV warned her that there was a stop sign right before the crash, but she didn't hit the brakes until the SUV was "probably a couple feet from the stop sign."

Gasparini then told the trooper she takes Zyrtec for allergies and is prescribed Adderall for ADHD. She said she did not take her Adderall that morning but that she "probably should have" to help her concentrate.

Though she admitted to drinking that weekend, a preliminary breath test showed Gasparini had no alcohol in her system.

She also denied being distracted by her phone.

The SUV's front passenger was also interviewed and said the van was driving slowly when they approached the intersection. She also said Gasparini was not distracted or under the influence of any substances.

Another driver who witnessed the crash said the van was driving slowly after it came to a complete stop at the intersection. That witness added, "Neither vehicle had time to react to each other."

The crash report concluded that Gasparini contributed to the crash by speeding and failing to obey a stop sign.