MINNEAPOLIS - A south metro man is charged with criminal vehicular homicide in a wrong-way crash that killed three members of a Minnesota family last December.
Prosecutors say 35-year-old Patrick Hayes of Savage concealed his history of epileptic seizures and kept driving until he caused a head-on crash on I-494 December 2 that killed a 2-year-old Payton Bailey, his mother Dylan and grandmother Dawn Chido. Two others in the vehicle suffered serious injuries.
Surveillance video from the airport shows Hayes pulling his car off on the shoulder of the westbound lanes, then performing a U-turn and driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic. The car carrying the victims entered I-494 from westbound Highway 5 and was struck head-on.
Investigators talked to Hayes' ex-wife and learned that he has a history of epileptic seizures, and was under daily medication for it. She told detectives he would not lose consciousness but would do strange things when suffering a seizure.
Records show that Hayes had been involved in two prior car crashes, one where a witness said he was driving near 100 miles per hour before hitting another vehicle and fleeing on foot. In the second incident investigators say Hayes caused an 11-vehicle pileup, and was described by witnesses as being 'out of it.' Further probing discovered a 2014 accident Hayes was involved in down in Texas, where he suffered a seizure and struck a building.
Minnesota State Records show Hayes never disclosed his condition while applying for his driver's license.
