A Minnesota teenager glancing at his phone triggered a car crash that took the life of a 70-year-old grandmother “right outside” her home and left a pregnant woman requiring an emergency C-section, according to police.
Authorities charged the teen, who was 17 years old when the crash occurred, with criminal vehicular homicide for allegedly causing Linda Davis’s death in December 2025. Court documents that local ABC affiliate KSTP obtained reveal the teen was looking at his phone while driving a BMW, which caused him to trigger a three-car crash that also sent a pregnant woman to the hospital.
Doctors rushed the expectant mother into surgery for an emergency delivery; both she and her baby survived, though the mother suffered multiple injuries.
A crash report that The Minnesota Star Tribune obtained reveals Davis, whom a GoFundMe describes as the “heart beat of her family,” was sitting in a Jeep and getting ready to turn when the teen crashed into her from behind while looking down at his phone.
“As [Davis] waited to turn, the BMW drove up behind the Jeep at a high rate of speed, did not slow down, and crashed into the Jeep,” the report says, according to the Tribune.
Police say the injured pregnant woman was driving a Ford SUV and hit Davis’ Jeep after the teen’s BMW forced it into oncoming traffic.
Davis’ daughter wrote on Facebook that the septuagenarian died at the scene and was “right in front of our house” when the crash occurred. The GoFundMe for Davis’ family says, “Linda passed away … right outside their home in Champlin.”
The teen allegedly told investigators following the crash that “his brakes are really slow” and claimed that explained why he couldn’t stop in time. However, police say an examination of his phone revealed the teen was using an application on his phone and remained actively on it from 3:20 p.m. until the crash occurred around 3:28 p.m., with investigators finding numerous interactions, the Tribune and KSTP report.
The phone examination, which police conducted through a search warrant, also revealed the teen allegedly called his mother before calling 911.
Davis had just celebrated her 70th birthday in November, her family says.
“Her sudden passing leaves a huge void,” the GoFundMe says. “She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, and an adoring grandma who found her joy in her family. She loved everyone deeply and fully. Her faith was the center of her life, and she faithfully served her church community alongside her husband Bill for 38 years.”
Court information about the teen was not available online due to his age. While he is 18 now, state attorneys say they plan to prosecute the case in juvenile court.
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