Maximum prison sentence, forgiveness from family in deadly St. Paul bus crash

Image 1 of 2

Photo Courtesy: St. Paul Police Dept.

The driver who pled guilty to causing a deadly crash with a Metro Transit bus in St. Paul, Minnesota was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday. 

In December, Tyler Bjelland, 27, of Minneapolis pled guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation with alcohol concentration of .08 or more. 

The crash took place occurred last July at the intersection of Charles Avenue and Dale Street North. Witnesses saw saw Bjelland driving around 70 mph before the crash, swerving on the road and ignoring stop signs, according to the charges. At the intersection, his car hit the median, went airborne and crashed through the bus.

One bus passenger, identified as 48-year-old Kenneth Foster of Minneapolis, died at the scene. Another was critically injured.  

A judge sentenced Bjelland to 10 years in prison. At the sentencing, the family of Kenneth Foster told the court they forgive him. 

"There’s no reason to hold a grudge. We sincerely love this man even though he did what he did. It wouldn’t be right to hold it against him,” said Kenneth Foster's son Damarus Brown. 

Markus Jackson, who suffered at traumatic brain injury also forgave Bjelland saying, "There’s no anger at all. It takes a stronger person to forgive someone than to hold onto what they’ve done.”