Kari Jo Milberg, 34, charged with homicide in car crash killing three children. She was on Facebook when the accident happened.

[PeaceBeWithMe]

http://www.cnet.com/news/driver-was-...hree-say-cops/

Driver was on Facebook before crash that killed three, say cops

A Wisconsin woman's phone is recovered months after a crash in which her daughter and two nieces, whom she was driving, were killed. She is being charged with homicide.

When the crash happened, police couldn't work out why.

A car driven by 34-year-old Kari Jo Milberg from Centuria, Wisc., allegedly plowed into a truck heading in the opposite direction. Her 11-year-old daughter and two 5-year-old nieces, who were in the car with her, were killed.

Milberg was seriously injured but survived, as did her 3-year-old son. Milberg said she couldn't remember what had happened.

The accident happened in December 2013. However, as CBS Minnesota reports, police went back to the crash scene in April last year. By then, the snow had melted. They found a phone, which turned out to be Milberg's.

What they discovered, they say, is that Milberg was sending Facebook chat messages to a man a mere two minutes before the crash was reported.

This has led the local district attorney to issue three charges of homicide against Milberg. She faces a maximum of 10 years in jail and a $25,000 fine for each homicide.

The crash investigators' report specifically cited the Facebook chat messages and the subsequent alleged driver inattention as the causes of the accident. The report did add that she had a therapeutic amount of Oxycodone and Midazolam (a sedative) in her system and that her car's tires had poor tread levels.

The Duluth News Tribune reports that Milberg had allegedly also been texting near the time of the crash.

This isn't the first time a driver has been accused of being on Facebook before a deadly crash. Last year, a 20-year-old from North Dakota was allegedly driving at 84 to 86 miles per hour down a highway while checking pictures on Facebook. Her SUV allegedly went into the back of another SUV. A passenger in the SUV hit, 89-year-old Phyllis Gordon, died from her injuries.

Whether it happens to be Facebook, texting or any other mobile use, many states have now outlawed using a cell phone while driving. There seems little evidence that this has curbed people's obsessions with their devices, even when it's patently dangerous.

If the police's allegations are true, what must a mother feel if she has caused the death of her own daughter and two other children because she was chatting on Facebook?

The Duluth News Tribune says that the police report offered this opinion: "Milberg should have been aware that her operation of a vehicle while texting/chatting on Facebook Messenger created the unreasonable and substantial risk of death or great bodily harm by texting/chatting while driving."

[Shins]

I'm so sick of people blaming texting and facebook for every fucking accident that happens ever.

Sorry, but her having sent a facebook chat message two minutes before an accident doesn't prove that that's what caused the accident. Two minutes is a lot longer than two seconds.

I don't text when I'm driving, but I'll check messages if I'm at a red light. What if that's what she did?

[Boston Babe 73]

Not only that, but some people pull to there side of the road to check and answer stuff. I'm the first person to HATE TEXTING AND DRIVING! But two minutes doesn't prove that it was what caused the accident. It's more likely that the sedatives and Tires caused it in that case.

[bowieluva]

Eh I am almost killed daily by some fuck who is facebooking on the road home. The minute traffic bogs down, people get out their phones and start reading, and it's scary.

[PeaceBeWithMe]

Gotta say sedatives + shitty tires + winter weather makes for a pretty good accident possibility in its own right. Adding Facebook to that - if she was indeed doing it while driving - was a dumb choice on her part.

[Shins]

Eh I am almost killed daily by some fuck who is facebooking on the road home. The minute traffic bogs down, people get out their phones and start reading, and it's scary.

I'm not saying there aren't people who are totally dumb and drive while facebooking constantly and cause accidents... but I think basically everyone has forgotten that there are other elements that cause a car crash, and we can't blame every single obscurely timed facebook message.

[bowieluva]

I'm not saying there aren't people who are totally dumb and drive while facebooking constantly and cause accidents... but I think basically everyone has forgotten that there are other elements that cause a car crash, and we can't blame every single obscurely timed facebook message.

I think the police are holding her accountable because the weather and car tread aren't enough to explain but rather indicate that conditions were specific that being a bad driver who isn't paying attention was particularly ill-advised.

[Boston Babe 73]

People definitely do it all of the time. But I'll leave a client, get in my car, check my email/FB/etc and then leave to go to my next client who is literally around the corner. If I got in a serious accident leaving, then they could essentially say "She posted on FB less than a minute before the crash" and I'm at fault? Fuck that noise. My car wasn't even on at the time.

[bowieluva]

People definitely do it all of the time. But I'll leave a client, get in my car, check my email/FB/etc and then leave to go to my next client who is literally around the corner. If I got in a serious accident leaving, then they could essentially say "She posted on FB less than a minute before the crash" and I'm at fault? Fuck that noise. My car wasn't even on at the time.

Yeah I don't think that's the case here. She was well on the road.

[Shins]

I think the police are holding her accountable because the weather and car tread aren't enough to explain but rather indicate that conditions were specific that being a bad driver who isn't paying attention was particularly ill-advised.

I understand, and I'm not really disputing the principle. But I just think at the same time, from a defense perspective, there's really no way to prove that facebook message was a definite factor.

[bowieluva]

I understand, and I'm not really disputing the principle. But I just think at the same time, from a defense perspective, there's really no way to prove that facebook message was a definite factor.

Well, there kind of is, because it's like saying 'I was kind of drunk but also I got a flat tire!' One natural thing going wrong doesn't counteract the fact that she was doing something illegal.

[Shins]

Well, there kind of is, because it's like saying 'I was kind of drunk but also I got a flat tire!' One natural thing going wrong doesn't counteract the fact that she was doing something illegal.

You know, I just re-read the article and it says the messages were sent 2 minutes before the crash was reported, not before the crash itself. In this case, yeah, it looks more incriminating on the text massages.

But I stand by my case that texts are basically blamed for every accident these days, and a text made two minutes before a crash occurs is not proof enough that texting is to blame.

[Kelly-Jane]

Presuming she was on her phone, I don't get why some people think they are so damn important they cannot ignore a text or call !
Most of my texts are ridiculous banter and inside jokes nothing that can't wait....really is it worth it ?!
The amount of times I've nearly been taken out by some idiot on a phone is mind blowing.

[bowieluva]

You know, I just re-read the article and it says the messages were sent 2 minutes before the crash was reported, not before the crash itself. In this case, yeah, it looks more incriminating on the text massages.

But I stand by my case that texts are basically blamed for every accident these days, and a text made two minutes before a crash occurs is not proof enough that texting is to blame.

Well, yeah it is unless you were definitely standing in the driveway two minutes before the accident.

Looking down at your phone, focusing on reading, that all takes away your attention AND makes it hard for you suddenly react. It's a really, really bad idea.

[Shins]

Presuming she was on her phone, I don't get why some people think they are so damn important they cannot ignore a text or call !
Most of my texts are ridiculous banter and inside jokes nothing that can't wait....really is it worth it ?!
The amount of times I've nearly been taken out by some idiot on a phone is mind blowing.

I think people just have short attention spans.

[Boston Babe 73]

I think people just have short attention spans.

Because having a short attention span is a quality that everyone should have when behind the wheel of a quarter ton or better piece of metal, killing machine. Nothing pisses me off more. Those asshats almost hit me on a daily basis.

I also didn't know that it was two minutes previous to it being reported. So this Woman was stupid as hell.

[beli]

ELLSWORTH, WI (KTRK) -- A Wisconsin mother was in court Tuesday to face negligence charges after prosecutors say she was using her phone seconds before a car crash that killed three children.

Local station WCCO reports Kari Milberg's 11-year-old daughter and her 5-year-old nieces died in the crash.

The day began with defense picking away at a sheriff's department investigator, Doug Ducklow, suggesting the tires on Milberg's car were too worn to be safe on any pavement.

Ducklow said, "I wasn't qualified to give an opinion about the tires."

Jurors then heard a recording of the truck drivers involved. Two brothers said conditions were slippery, saying it appeared Milberg's car lost control.

The prosecution is out to prove Milberg was Facebook messaging on her phone just before the crash, and drove into the path of the oncoming truck

Investigator Aaron Hansen said, "I was familiar with the chat messenger when it popped up. Couldn't tell you any names or anything that was written, but it appears something was written in there."

Hansen found Milberg's phone four months later, after snow had melted.He describes a Facebook chat log, detailing a string of messages between Milberg and Jason McKenzie. They were planning lunch, joking about being nervous. But when McKenzie took the stand, he was uncooperative and couldn't recall even messaging Milberg.

Evidence shows the final exchange between the two came 19 seconds before the 911 call.

A state mechanical inspector looked at Milberg's car. He said the brakes and steering all worked properly. He did say the tires were badly worn, but were still legal.

http://abc13.com/news/moms-facebook-...crash/1406617/

[beli]

this is her facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kari.milberg

[beli]

This tv anchor is tweeting for the courtroom - https://twitter.com/paulblume_fox9

[luvit]

http://mydeathspace.com/vb/showthrea...hlight=Milberg

[daisylane]

Paul Blume
@PaulBlume_FOX9
2h
BREAKING: Kari Milberg NOT GUILTY all counts. Stunned courtoom.. Milberg bawling.

[Olivia]

Wow.

[beli]

Wooooooww!

[Boston Babe 73]

Crazy. If they had actual proof that she was active on FB that close to when 911 was called, it seems that it's a no brainer.

[bermstalker]

The state said she was on Facebook seconds before the crash. Then the dude she was messaging with was pretty uncooperative on the stand. Hmmm.

I never ever ever use my phone while driving. I hate it went people do that. I still remember a time where we had to pull over and use a pay phone.....and really, it wasn't that LONG ago. Maybe 12-15 years.