IGH Woman Sentenced In Crash That Killed Pedestrian

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MN— An Inver Grove Heights woman was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 30 days of house arrest in connection with a car crash that left a pedestrian dead, the Dakota County Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Breyona Sadi Cotton, 32, was involved in a crash that left Haimanot Gezahegne Gebremedhin, 55, dead on Jan. 5, 2019, the office said. The crash occurred on 80th Street near Blaine Avenue.

Cotton pleaded guilty Oct. 5 to leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death, the office said.

Police found Gebremedhin’s body on 8oth Street at 5:40 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2019. She appeared to have been hit by a car, police said. Gebremedhin was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cotton came to the police station the next day with her attorney and told police that she was driving down 80th Street and heard a collision at about the time of the accident. She said she turned right on Blaine Avenue and stopped, did not hear or see anything and didn’t get out of her car, thinking she had hit a deer. She then drove home, the county attorney's office said.

Minnesota State Patrol reconstructed the accident and concluded that that Gebremedhin’s legs hit the front bumper of Cotton’s car, forcing her onto the hood and hitting her head on the windshield, the office said. Gebremedhin should have been visible to Cotton, and had Cotton investigated more after the crash, she would have found Gebremedhin’s body, the office added.

“We are pleased Ms. Cotton took responsibility for her actions for her part in the death of
Ms. Gebremedhin,” Kathryn M. Keena, acting county attorney, said.