Unlicensed Driver Ran Red Light, Leaves Minnetonka Girl In Coma: Cops

MINNETONKA, MN — A 17-year-old Hopkins High School student is fighting for her life after an unlicensed driver crashed into the teen's SUV on Highway 7 last week, according to investigators.

Lauren Elaine Olson, of Minnetonka, was induced into a coma at Hennepin County Medical Center so her brain could heal after the crash, her family said on GoFundMe.

On March 5 at about 2:20 p.m., Olson's westbound Nissan Rogue was making a turn to southbound Williston Road when an eastbound Chevrolet Equinox stuck it, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

A search warrant indicates that the Equinox driver sped, passed other cars on the right shoulder, and ran a red light before hitting Olson's vehicle.

It's not yet clear if the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Court records show the man's license was revoked after he racked up more than a dozen traffic convictions.

The driver has not yet been arrested or criminally charged in this case.

Olson was left with "life-threatening" injuries. She required emergency surgery for a bleed in her stomach and colon and had a rod inserted into her femur to repair the break she sustained.

"Both surgeries were a success and the doctors were happy with the outcome, especially given the trauma her body went through," her family wrote. "Unfortunately, she also sustained a brain bleed from the trauma of the crash."