Michael Flodine was driving at speeds topping 120 mph when his vehicle went flying over a Minnesota 36 highway embankment last winter and smashed into an SUV on a busy Roseville street, seriously injuring the other driver, authorities say.
For his reckless conduct, the 50-year-old Oakdale man was charged Tuesday with one count of criminal vehicular operation resulting in great bodily harm, according to the criminal complaint filed against him in Ramsey County District Court.
Witnesses told police that Flodine was driving a 2008 Audi A6 east on Minnesota 36 on Dec. 2 when the car suddenly left the highway and plunged down a steep embankment.
His car then crashed through a chain-link fence and onto southbound Fairview Avenue, where it collided with a concrete lane divider before continuing south on the busy thoroughfare at speeds of 120 to 135 mph, authorities say.
As Flodine’s Audi approached Roselawn Avenue, it reportedly passed a line of vehicles waiting at a four-way stop sign before plowing head-on into the northbound SUV.
Steven Gernes of St. Paul was driving the SUV, and he and Flodine were rushed via ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center for emergency treatment.
Both vehicles were “completely destroyed,” the complaint said.
Gernes, 64, sustained severe injuries to his right leg and ankle that continue to cause him daily pain, according to the criminal complaint.
A relative of Gernes said Tuesday that he had yet to see the charging document and declined to comment further.
Flodine could not be reached for comment and no attorney was listed for him in court records.
Court records show Flodine has been cited for speeding and other traffic violations in the past.
He pleaded guilty to two offenses in 2009: driving 82 mph in a 65 mph zone in Isanti County and at a “speed faster than reasonable and prudent” in Hennepin County. Flodine also pleaded guilty to speeding in a 2005 Ramsey County case.
His first court appearances on the latest charge is scheduled for Oct. 18.