Woman on Phone in Columbia Heights Crash Killing Baby

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. - A one-year-old boy was killed and a man and woman were injured in a crash in Columbia Heights on Thursday.

When officers arrived to the scene of the crash at the intersection of 50th Avenue and Central Avenue, they found a three-car rear-end accident.

Police said the boy was in a car with his father and the woman, who was in another car, was reaching for her cell phone. Police cited her for inattentive driving and said more serious charges could be filed.

The woman and boy were transported to the hospital, where the boy later died of his injuries.

Deadly seconds

According to AAA, for every two seconds a driver's eyes are off the road, a motorist is twice as likely to be involved in a crash .

A change in law?

Lawmakers at the State Capitol are pushing to ban using cell phones while driving all together in Minnesota . DFL senator Terry Bonhoff is the author of the bill.

Initially, she was going to propose allowing hands-free devices only while driving, similar to seven other states, including New York and California, but she looked at evidence showing hands-free is just as distracting as hands on. So, she’s going for the total ban, which is already the case with young provisional drivers.

"We tell them they shouldn't be talking and driving,” said Bonhoff. “We're no different. We as adults are just as distracted as our young people are."