Minneapolis Truck Driver Charged for Crash That Severely Injured Rochester Couple

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The truck driver who was involved in a severe injury crash north of Rochester last year is now facing charges. 

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First responders were dispatched to the two-vehicle crash on the morning of August 13 last year. A car and a semi collided at the intersection of Hwy. 63 and Olmsted County Rd. 12/Hwy. 247. 

The collision resulted in life-threatening injuries for Beverly Ruth Amlaner of Rochester. She was riding in the car, according to the state crash report. 

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A criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court on Wednesday, indicates the truck driver was at fault in the serious accident. 

Minneapolis Truck Driver Facing Felony Charges for Aug. 2024 Injury Crash at Rochester-Area Intersection

40-year-old Mohamed Mukhtar Abdi of Minneapolis is charged with two felony counts of criminal vehicular operation. 

The criminal complaint and state crash report say Abdi was heading east on County Rd. 12 when the semi entered the intersection with Hwy. 63 without stopping. The car was traveling north on Hwy. 63 when it collided with the semi. 

Abdi initially told the State Patrol that he did not stop at the intersection because the brakes on his semi failed, however a witness driving behind Abdi told investigators that the semi’s break lights did not illuminate as the truck approached the intersection, the charges say. 

A State Patrol inspection of the semi found the brakes to be in working order and determined brake failure was not a factor in the crash, the complaint says. 

The court document says the car driver, Charles Joseph Amlaner of Rochester, suffered multiple serious injuries, including a damaged artery and internal bleeding. 

Beverly was airlifted from the crash scene. She suffered head trauma, multiple spinal fractures, a severe spleen injury, according to the court document. 

Abdi suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the state crash report. His first court appearance is scheduled for next year.