A 3-year-old boy was killed in a collision in southern Dakota County in a highway construction zone, where the car he was riding in crossed the center line and struck a semitrailer truck, officials said Tuesday.
The collision occurred about 10:30 a.m. Monday in Hampton Township on Hwy. 52 at 250th Street, the State Patrol said.
A court filing by the State Patrol explained that northbound Hwy. 52 in that area was closed for construction, and the left side of the highway was converted to carry traffic in both directions with no center divider.
The patrol's filing said Maria de los Garcia Galindo, 28, of St. Paul, drifted onto the right shoulder while heading north, and she overcorrected before crossing into oncoming traffic and collided with the southbound semi.
Garcia Galindo's son, Sebastian Chavez Garcia, was behind her in a child car seat, but "was not believed to belted in correctly, and the child was ejected."
Sebastian died after being taken by emergency responders to Regions Hospital, according to the patrol.
De los Garcia Galindo suffered critical injuries and remains in Regions as of Tuesday afternoon, the patrol said.
The patrol's filing, a search warrant affidavit, noted that the agency has collected blood samples from Garcia Galindo to test for any signs of drug or alcohol impairment.
The truck driver, Danilo Vukmanovic, 39, of St. Augustine, Fla., survived his injuries, the patrol said.
