Leigh O’Connor, Curtis John O’Connor Obituary – Luis Tipantuna, aged 31 and residing in Minneapolis, is currently in custody at the Ramsey County jail following an incident that occurred at around 8:45 a.m. last Friday on Interstate 694 in Arden Hills. The collision resulted in the tragic deaths of Karin Leigh O’Connor, aged 74, and Curtis John O’Connor, aged 76, a couple from New Brighton. Tipantuna is facing charges of criminal vehicular homicide and driving with a blood alcohol content exceeding the legal limit of 0.08%. Charges are expected to be filed by Tuesday.
The State Patrol reported that Tipantuna was driving his SUV westbound on I-694, near Snelling Avenue, when he veered from the right lane onto the left shoulder, overcorrected, spun out, crossed a ditch, and collided with the O’Connors’ vehicle. A semitrailer truck traveling westbound then struck the car from the side. Both Tipantuna and the semi’s driver, 68-year-old Steven J. Silva from Sunnyside, Wash., sustained noncritical injuries. The crash led to the closure of westbound I-694 for several hours.