News footage captured the aftermath of a bus crash on September 12th, where both drivers and multiple children were injured.
A Minnesota woman is facing felony charges after being accused by the police of using Snapchat moments before a school bus crash that injured more than 20 children.
Nineteen-year-old Svea Snickers faced charges on December 26 for her involvement in a crash that occurred on September 12. The crash left her, the bus driver, and 21 children injured, with the youngest being just 5 years old. Fortunately, the injuries were reported as mild to moderate, and no fatalities were recorded. Snickers now faces five felony charges and 17 gross misdemeanor counts of criminal vehicular operation.
Snickers, driving her Toyota RAV4, disregarded a stop sign and collided with the school bus, which resulted in the bus flipping over and landing in a nearby ditch. Police reports indicate that Snickers had captured a screenshot on Snapchat just moments before initiating a 911 call.
Snickers sustained the most severe injuries in the accident, resulting in the driver of the school bus, a 52-year-old, being transported to the hospital via ambulance. According to the charging documents, 10 children, aged 5 to 17, were also taken to the hospital, with five of them diagnosed with concussions or broken bones. The remaining injuries varied from minor scrapes and cuts to bruising and pain.
According to the charging documents acquired by Minneapolis ABC affiliate KSTP, Snickers reportedly confessed to Minnesota State Troopers during an interview conducted a week after the collision that she was using her phone at the time of the impact. In particular, she purportedly stated that she was sending a “voice text” via Snapchat. Furthermore, she admitted to creating a video. Law enforcement officials stated that a search warrant was issued to examine her phone, which revealed that Snickers had taken a screenshot on Snapchat moments before 911 calls were placed to report the accident.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by Fox affiliate KMSP, Snickers was on her way home from her boyfriend’s house when the incident occurred. It was reported that she had sent a Snapchat text to a friend while driving. Initially, she claimed to have sent the text on a different road before the crash happened. However, her cellphone data revealed that the text was actually sent much closer to the time of the crash. In addition to this, Snickers was also charged with using an app while driving.
According to Minnesota State Troopers, the vehicle data from Snickers’ car showed that she was driving at a speed of 48-53 mph and did not apply her brakes at the stop sign.
Snickers has been issued a summons and is set to appear in court on January 30th.