Farmington Man Charged with Careless Driving After Fatal Accident on Cedar

A Dakota County man faces criminal charges for a fatal crash that occurred in early December of 2012. 

Salomon Galacia Adorno, a 32-year-old Farmington man, has been charged with careless driving, a misdemeanor, in connection with the death of Inocencio Munoz-Gutierrez, 26. 

Munoz-Gutierrez was killed during an accident on Cedar Avenue in Apple Valley on Dec. 2, 2012. According to a release from the county attorney's office, the crash occurred around 5:50 p.m. when Adorno lost control of the vehicle he was driving, a GMC full size van. He was heading south on Cedar near the intersection withMcAndrews Road when the car began to swerve, first slightly to the right, then hard left as if he were over-correcting. The van hit a guard rail, went airborne and crashed on its side in the left lane of northbound Cedar. The overturned van was landed squarely in the path of a southbound Chevrolet Tahoe. 

According to previous reports, Munoz-Gutierrez was Adorno's passenger. He died from the injuries he sustained. Adorno himself was hurt and trapped inside the GMC as a result of the rollover, though his injuries proved to be non-life threatening. The three occupants of the opposing car, the Tahoe, suffered only minor injuries. 

Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said that the crash seems to have resulted from distracted driving. However, Adorno was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash, nor could the state prove gross negligence. In such circumstances, a felony charge for criminal vehicular homicide is not an option. 

Adorno's first appearance in court should take place in three to four weeks.