Distracted driving suspected in fatal crash

A truck driver told a trooper he was looking at a map and a GPS unit when ran a stop sign and crashed into another vehicle in Washington County, after which the other driver died, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Shane Joseph Loughney, 48, was taken to Regions Hospital with life-threatening injuries following the collision last Wednesday and died at the hospital on Saturday.

State Patrol troopers responded about 1:50 p.m. to Denmark Township. Investigation showed a 27-year-old man was driving a semitrailer northbound on Minnesota 95 “at highway speeds,” the affidavit said.

Loughney was eastbound on 70th Street, stopped at a stop sign and began turning left onto Minnesota 95. The semi T-boned his pickup in the intersection. The collision pushed both vehicles into another pickup.

The semi’s driver told a State Patrol sergeant he was “at fault for the crash,” the affidavit said. He said he’d “been looking at a combination of maps on his phone and a separate GPS unit which distracted him from seeing the stop signs.”

The warrant, approved by a judge and filed in court Monday, was for a forensic search of the driver’s phone.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office had not received a case to review for charges as of Tuesday.

Loughney was from Woodville in St. Croix County, Wisconsin.

— Mara H. Gottfried

New U provost poised for regents’ approval

Pending approval from the Board of Regents next month, Gretchen Ritter will be the University of Minnesota’s new executive vice president and provost starting July 31.

Ritter will serve as the university’s chief academic officer across its campus system, with a focus on its Twin Cities campus. She will be responsible for approving faculty promotion and tenure, academic programs across the system and operations, planning and growth.

She will also guide the implementation of a strategic plan for the Twin Cities campus which will promote faculty, student and staff recruitment and retention and will advance academic and research opportunities.

“Dr. Ritter brings an impressive set of credentials that combine a strong academic and research background with a history of administrative leadership,” U President Rebecca Cunningham said in a statement. “She has a demonstrated commitment to working with faculty and shared governance. I look forward to working with her as the University again transforms to achieve our mission to serve our students, faculty, staff and the state.”

Ritter is currently vice president for civic engagement and education at Syracuse University in New York and was chosen through a nationwide search.

Ritter has a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor of arts from Cornell University.

— Imani Cruzen