Prosecutors say a 33-year-old Saint Paul man crossed the center line on the 1500 block of East Shore Drive on the evening of Wednesday, March 4, slamming head-on into an oncoming pickup and leaving a woman with a broken hip that required surgery. Other occupants of the truck, including an infant, escaped without serious injury.
Day Wah Ku is now charged with felony criminal vehicular operation resulting in substantial bodily harm, along with several misdemeanors that include carrying a pistol while under the influence and two counts of driving while impaired, according to MN CRIME. Investigators say they recovered a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm handgun, a loaded magazine and spare ammunition from Ku’s car, and later obtained a warrant that recorded his alcohol concentration at 0.13. Those details appear in the criminal complaint and related court records.
Scene and witness account
According to records available via Minnesota Court Records Online, an off-duty officer driving behind the pickup told investigators the Toyota Corolla took a curve too fast, crossed the center line and hit the truck head-on. Paramedics pulled the injured woman from the pickup and took her to Regions Hospital, where doctors determined she had a broken hip and performed surgery.
Charges, bail and next hearing
Court documents show Ku made his initial appearance on March 6 and was released with no bail, under conditions that bar him from using alcohol or drugs, require him to participate in an alcohol-monitoring program and submit to random testing, according to MN CRIME. Prosecutors have filed the felony criminal vehicular operation count along with the listed misdemeanor charges.
What the law says
Under Minnesota law, criminal vehicular operation resulting in substantial bodily harm can carry a prison sentence of up to three years and fines up to $10,000. A blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher is one of the conditions that can elevate the offense, according to Minnesota Statutes. The statute defines "substantial bodily harm" to include fractures, a point that ties directly to the woman’s broken hip and how prosecutors are framing the case.
The case remains open, and court filings will show whether prosecutors decide to amend the charges as the investigation continues.
