A northern Minnesota driver has admitted she was criminally responsible for the school bus rollover east of Hibbing that left a bus full of kids and both drivers hurt in 2024.
Svea Lynn Snickers, 20, pleaded guilty on Thursday, May 7, 2026, to two counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the crash. The collision happened on Sept. 12, 2024, at the intersection of Highway 5 and Townline Road, where the impact tipped the school bus onto its side and sent debris and children scrambling. Court records show the injured students ranged in age from 5 to 17.
Guilty Plea Marks Turning Point In Case
According to KSTP, Snickers entered a guilty plea to two counts of criminal vehicular operation on Thursday. It is the first major court development since the high-profile crash, which has lingered in St. Louis County court for more than a year and a half.
Charges, Speed And Snapchat Recording
Charging documents say Snickers ran a stop sign and hit the school bus while traveling between 48 and 53 mph. Investigators also found a Snapchat recording on her phone that was taken moments before the crash, according to the Star Tribune. The state initially filed several counts of criminal vehicular operation along with related traffic violations tied to the collision.
Injuries On Board And At The Scene
Authorities said the bus driver and all 21 students on board were injured. CBS Minnesota reported that a dozen students and both drivers were taken to hospitals after the rollover. The criminal complaint lists a range of injuries, from cuts and lacerations to concussions and fractures, and notes that five children suffered broken bones or concussions.
What Snickers Now Faces In Court
Under Minnesota law, criminal vehicular operation resulting in substantial bodily harm can bring a sentence of up to three years in prison. Cases tied to great bodily harm can carry penalties of up to five years. How those statutes will apply to Snickers, and what sentence the two-count plea will ultimately bring, will be decided at a later disposition hearing in St. Louis County District Court.
Spotlight On Distracted Driving And Bus Safety
The case has kept a harsh spotlight on distracted driving and school-bus safety along Iron Range routes. Minnesota law bars drivers from composing or reading electronic messages behind the wheel and restricts handheld cell-phone use, while the Department of Public Safety continues to promote the state’s hands-free rules and enforcement efforts. Local school and safety officials have said the Hibbing-area crash is a stark reminder of the risks drivers create on roads that carry children to and from school.
Specific scheduling for the next court appearance, and any terms of the plea beyond the guilty verdict itself, were not detailed in initial reports. The case is expected to return to court for disposition and sentencing, as families, school staff and local leaders continue to deal with the aftermath of the September 2024 rollover.
