‘I Heard Jacob Screaming’: Minnesota Family Shares Details Of Horrific ATV Crash

As a police officer in Woodbury, Allan Olson has spent years responding to the aftermath of impaired driving; the crashes, the chaos, the families whose lives were changed in seconds. But this past August, that familiar scene landed terrifyingly close to home.

During a late-summer family trip up north, Allan and his teenage son, Jacob, hopped on the ATV for what should’ve been a quick, fun ride. Instead, an impaired driver struck them head-on and instantly turned a father-son vacation into months of surgeries, physical therapy, and daily challenges the Olsons are still working through.

READ MORE: Minnesota Mom Warns Others After Tragic Loss of Two Sons

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety recently sat down with the Olsons for an in-depth interview, and they’re now sharing the family’s story to highlight the real cost of impaired driving.

“We were riding, Jacob was sitting here driving,” Allan said in the interview. “I was sitting on the back. My left leg, which is where my hip issue and stuff is, would have been hanging down right here. That's where I would have been impacted before I got thrown off in that direction.”

Jacob tried to shield himself when the vehicle hit them. “Jacob's sitting there, he put his arm up to block, and that's why he has that left radial break.”

Allan remembers the crash in pieces, but the parts he does remember are impossible to forget. “I heard Jacob screaming and then remember looking down and seeing my pants gone. I remember seeing the whole bottom part of my leg being bright purple and I remember my leg not working. My femur had pushed its way through the back of my hip and blown out the back part of the bone.”

Jacob walked away with a broken arm. Allan wasn’t as lucky. He was left with deep lacerations, multiple tendon cuts, and a crushed hip that doctors say will likely need replacement within five years.

Months of Recovery, and a New Normal No One Asked For

Recovery hasn’t just been painful, it’s been humbling. Allan said even basic movements were exhausting.

“I'd walk probably maybe 10 feet and I'm gassed. I’d turn around, I'd get put back in the bed and I would just be out cold. The simple steps of getting into a chair didn't exist.”

The household had to adjust fast. Dishes. Laundry. Yardwork. Even getting Allan into a chair required teamwork. “All it takes is a group chat between Allan, Jacob, and their other son,” Allan’s wife, Caley, said. “‘Hey, can one of you do this?’ Or, ‘I have a list of stuff for you guys to do.’”

The boys stepped up. Mom did what she could around her job schedule. Everyone learned to live inside a new version of normal where even good days felt uphill.

“You wake up and you don't know what's coming,” she said. “But it's beautiful to watch the three of them really work together.”

Allan recently had his second surgery, restarting his recovery timeline. Physical therapy begins again soon.

A Preventable Crash With Lasting Consequences

Impaired driving continues to be a major problem in Minnesota. According to the MN DPS, between 2020 and 2024:

• 668 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes
• Nearly 2,000 were seriously injured
• More than 125,000 Minnesotans were arrested for DWI
• Over 15,000 crashes involved impairment

And every one of those numbers is a person, a family, a story they didn’t choose to be part of.

“If you're thinking about drinking and getting behind the wheel, don't do it,” Allan said. “You're not only risking your own life, but you're risking others. And that one bad decision you decide to make is an irreversible consequence.”

Then he adds the part that stays with you: “If the driver would have just made a different choice, I wouldn't be suffering today. It’s why we have Uber. It’s why we have Lyft. It’s why we have friends.”

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Choosing to Move Forward, Even When It Hurts

Despite everything, the Olsons refuse to let this crash define their life.

Jacob says the biggest hero that day was his dad. “The biggest savior that day was probably my dad with all of his time he's had as being a police officer, knowing what to do and doing it correctly.”

READ MORE: Minnesota Woman Shares How a Simple Date Night Turned Into a Terrifying Moment She’ll Never Forget

And even after everything, they’re determined to get back to the activities they love.

“I foresee myself getting a new ATV, going back to doing ATVing,” Allan said. “One thing you teach kids is, I know it's going to change you for your thoughts, but it can't change you completely for your actions. You still have to live. You still have to enjoy the things that you enjoy.”

That message “you still have to live” is exactly why the family chose to share their story. To show Minnesotans what impaired driving truly costs. To remind people that rideshare exists for a reason. And to help prevent another family from going through what they’ve endured for months.