Drunk Driver Bails After Crashing Car, Leaves Girlfriend to Die in Wreckage

September 25, 2017

Michael Laurence Campbell, 21, is now facing two criminal charges after the accident that caused the death of his girlfriend, Ria Patel, 20, at around 3:40 a.m. on September 17.

Campbell and Patel both came from a party before the accident in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where friends were unaware that the pair had left, but recalled that the man was “super drunk.”

The 21-year-old man was accused of running a red light before eventually slamming into a semaphore post. The gruesome crash left Patel’s body crushed in the passenger seat of the vehicle, Daily Mail reported.

Instead of calling for help, one witness claimed seeing Campbell running away from his wrecked car to a nearby McDonald’s chain. Shortly after, he was spotted running back to his vehicle only to look for his cellphone before bailing out again, leaving his girlfriend to die.

Investigators at the crime scene found Campbell’s wallet inside the car, which led to his arrest in his residence in Wright County a couple of days later on September 19, the Star Tribune reported. After being apprehended by the authorities, the suspect confessed he was intoxicated at the time, and admitted fleeing the scene because the accident was traumatizing.

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Campbell is now facing two criminal charges for vehicular homicide operating in a grossly negligent manner and leaving the scene of collision, according to Hennepin County Attorney.

The criminal complaints for the 21-year-old suspect also mentioned five convictions of speeding violations, possession of marijuana in a vehicle and a hit-and-run case in January that left him under probation, KSTP reported.

A vigil for Patel was recently held at the Arches in University of St. Thomas on September 21. A funeral service was scheduled for September 23 in the Anderson Student Center, James B. Woulfe Alumni Hall, as posted on St. Thomas official website.

Images via Instagram / riapatel97

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