Alleged Drunk Driver Charged After Passenger Critically Hurt in Crash

Jun 3

A Lauderdale man is charged with criminal vehicular operation after a high-speed crash last week in Mounds View left a woman critically injured.

Frank Lor, 26, is accused of driving drunk when he crashed a sedan into a sound wall on Highway 10 near Interstate 35W in Mounds View around 10:50 p.m. on Friday, May 30.

According to the charging document, the front seat passenger in the vehicle was found unconscious with severe head trauma and bleeding from her ears, nose, and mouth.

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Minnesota State Patrol troopers responded to the scene and found Lor standing nearby. Troopers noted Lor’s arms were partially covered in the passenger’s blood but he did not appear to be injured himself. Lor allegedly told officers they had been “kind of drinking” earlier and were heading to another place. He admitted to drinking but said he wasn’t sure how much or what kind of alcohol he had consumed, estimating his last drink had been one to two hours before the crash.

Field sobriety tests showed multiple signs of impairment, including unsteady balance and eye movement consistent with intoxication. A preliminary breath test measured Lor’s blood alcohol concentration at 0.155. He was arrested at the scene, and a judge later approved a search warrant for a blood sample. Those test results are still pending as of publication.

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A witness told officers she saw the vehicle speeding past her on the highway before spinning out and crashing head-on into the wall. She stopped to help and said the female passenger was unconscious the entire time.

The passenger was transported to the hospital with a brain hemorrhage and broken ribs and remained in intensive care as of the time the complaint was filed. Her long-term prognosis was unknown.

Lor is charged with one felony count of criminal vehicular operation causing great bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. He remains in custody, with an initial court appearance set for Tuesday morning.

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