Charges: Wisconsin woman read text before fatal crash

Published 10:32 am Thursday, December 22, 2016

ST. PAUL — Prosecutors said a Wisconsin woman had just read a text message and was reaching for her cellphone when she crashed into another car last May, killing a Minnesota woman.

Thirty-five-year-old Destiny Xiong of Hudson was charged this week with criminal vehicular operation in connection with the crash that killed 31-year-old Brea Miller of St. Paul.

The crash happened May 1 on Interstate 35W in New Brighton. The complaint says Xiong was driving when she read a text message from her daughter, who was responding to a message Xiong sent earlier. Xiong dropped her phone and was reaching for it when she crashed into the car Miller was in.

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Miller died days later.

Xiong doesn’t have a listed phone number and it wasn’t immediately clear if she had an attorney to comment.