Tragedy for innocent pedestrian after Minnesota mother let daughter drive illegally the day after her 15th birthday

Published: 19:08, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 19:14, 28 May 2026 A Minnesota pedestrian was killed and her wife left seriously injured after an allegedly illegal teen driver plowed into them just a day after her 15th birthday, cops said. Laura Bachinski, 55, was struck when the teen's minivan veered off a roadway in Rockford. The driver's mom, 36, told police she believes her daughter hit the accelerator by mistake while trying to avoid another vehicle. She collided with Bachinski who died at the scene, while her wife Renee DeLong, 56, was left pinned under the van. DeLong had to be freed by deputies and firefighters before being rushed to North Memorial Hospital with significant leg injuries, according to KSTP. The teen then careened into a nearby house after striking the couple, according to the authorities. She and her mom, who was also in the van, were unharmed. Deputies responded to the intersection of Ash Street and Elm Street around 1.53pm after reports that two pedestrians had been struck by a vehicle, according to the Wright County Sheriff’s Office.  Officials said the teenager had turned 15 just one day before the crash and did not possess the instruction permit legally required to operate a vehicle in Minnesota. Laura Bachinski, 55, was killed on May 2 in Rockford, Minnesota, after a minivan driven by a 15-year-old girl veered off the roadway and struck Bachinski and her wife, Renee DeLong, 56, cops said Under Minnesota law, 15-year-olds may only drive with a valid learner’s permit while supervised by a licensed adult seated in the passenger seat. The Wright County Sheriff’s Office said investigators have forwarded their findings to the County Attorney’s Office for possible charges against both the teen driver and her mother. County Attorney Brian Lutes told the Star Tribune prosecutors are waiting for a State Patrol crash reconstruction report before determining whether criminal charges will be filed. A witness told the police they saw the minivan stopped with its right turn signal activated before it suddenly accelerated ‘all of a sudden’ and shot across the sidewalk. The teen later told investigators she had attempted to avoid another vehicle while turning right and ‘took the turn too wide,’ according to the affidavit obtained by the Star Tribune. She said she did not see Bachinski or DeLong before striking them. Her mother reportedly told investigators she screamed at her daughter to brake moments before the crash. The mother said she believed her daughter mistakenly pressed the accelerator too hard while attempting the turn, causing the minivan to lurch out of control. A witness told the police they saw the minivan stopped with its right turn signal activated before it suddenly accelerated ‘all of a sudden’ and shot across the sidewalk Bachinski’s obituary described her as a former journalist who later transitioned into information technology and helped build Best Buy’s first website in the early 2000s. She and DeLong were among the first same-sex couples married in Minnesota after marriage equality took effect in 2013. The obituary described the women as ‘inseparable,’ sharing a love of hiking, travel, basketball and reading together by the fireplace. No charges had been announced at the time of publication. The Daily Mail has contacted the county attorney for comment. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.