Questions remain in deadly crash

The family of an 18-year-old Owatonna High School student who was killed in a crash two weeks before graduation has retained a law firm in their quest for answers.

Olivia Flores was a passenger in a car that was struck by a Minnesota State Patrol car in Rochester the afternoon of May 18. She died the next day of her injuries. Two other people in the car were seriously injured.

Flores’s parents, Stephanie and Carlos Flores, of Owatonna, are represented by former Steele County Attorney Dan McIntosh, who now works for the law firm of Restovich, Braun and Associates in Rochester.

“We have very little information right now,” McIntosh said of the circumstances surrounding the crash. “It’s up to law enforcement and the county attorney’s office to start that dialogue so we can get some answers.”

The Rochester Police Department is heading up the investigation. McIntosh said there has been no contact with that department, though a meeting could be held this week.

While the Flores family awaits information about the events leading up to the crash – and a review of the matter by the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office – they remain appreciative of the community support and the celebration of Olivia’s life.

McIntosh said they have spoken with a victim advocate, adding that “we have to have faith and trust in the investigation as it goes on.”