Sanborn man charged in crash that left superintendent paralyzed
A Sanborn man is facing criminal charges in a crash that left a southwestern Minnesota school superintendent paralyzed.
Vincent David Irlbeck, 51, was charged with felony criminal vehicular operation in Redwood County Court last week.
Irlbeck also faces gross misdemeanor counts of criminal vehicular operation, reckless driving, and careless driving in connection with the May 2019 crash.
Irlbeck is accused of running a stop sign on Knox Ave, near Sanborn, and crashing into a Dodge Caravan that was eastbound on Highway 14. The Caravan rolled into a ditch, according to court documents.
Crash reports identified one of the passengers in the Caravan as Bruce Edward Olson, 64, of Sanborn.
At the time of the crash, Olson was the superintendent at Red Rock Central School District in Sanborn. He was airlifted to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale with life-threatening injuries.
Two other occupants in the vehicle reported whiplash, bruising, and backpain.
Olson sustained head injuries, a broken spinal cord, and neck, according to the complaint. Court documents say he is now a quadriplegic, which means he has lost the use of all four limbs and his torso.
A criminal complaint says the day of the crash was clear, and the crash site was in an open area, with no agricultural obstruction.
Irlbeck told investigators he travels Knox Ave multiple times a day and knew there were stop signs. He is also facing misdemeanor charges of failure to yield and failure to stop at a stop sign.
