Driver Gets 4 Years for Crash That Killed Son, Hurt Another Child

Oct 30

A 36-year-old woman has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to causing a fatal head-on crash in Chisago County in March.

The crash killed her four-year-old son and injured four others while she was under the influence of methamphetamine.

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According to court records, Ashlee Rose Klapperick, of Mora, was sentenced Monday to 48 months in prison. She will serve two-thirds of that term behind bars and the remainder on supervised release. Klapperick received credit for 224 days already spent in custody.

The crash happened around 6:18 p.m. on March 14, 2025, on Rush Lake Trail in Nessel Township. Deputies and first responders arrived to find a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze driven by Klapperick with heavy front-end damage after colliding head-on with a Chrysler Pacifica minivan. Both vehicles had children inside.

Deputies found Klapperick’s 4-year-old son unresponsive and not breathing in his car seat. First responders performed chest compressions for about 11 minutes before restoring a pulse. He was airlifted to Gillette Children’s Hospital, where he was placed on life support. Six days later, on March 20, his life support was withdrawn and he was pronounced dead at 12:21 p.m. Her three-year-old son, who was also in the back seat, suffered a broken collarbone.

PREVIOUSLY: Child’s Death Prompts New Charge For Driver in Chisago County Crash

The driver of the van, identified as a woman traveling with her three children, told investigators that Klapperick’s car suddenly crossed the center line. The woman said she tried to steer into the opposite lane to avoid the crash, but Klapperick swerved back into her path, hitting the van head-on. All four occupants of the van were hospitalized, with the mother suffering a broken foot and other injuries, and her children sustaining various fractures and bruises.

A witness driving behind the van confirmed that Klapperick’s vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic. Another person at the scene said Klapperick admitted she had “closed her eyes for a second” before the collision.

READ MORE > Chisago County coverage

Deputies at the scene, including a drug recognition expert, reported that Klapperick appeared impaired, had droopy eyelids, and admitted to using methamphetamine days earlier and marijuana the day before the crash. A search of her car turned up a glass pipe, tinfoil, and a container with a crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. A blood sample was obtained and was sent to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing.

Klapperick was initially charged with six counts, including criminal vehicular homicide and multiple counts of criminal vehicular operation causing injury. Under a plea agreement, she admitted guilt to three felonies—criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation causing substantial bodily harm—while three other counts were dismissed at sentencing.

In addition to her prison sentence, Klapperick was ordered to pay $260 in fines and fees and provide a DNA sample. Restitution is yet to be determined.

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