Three Innocent Minnesota Lives Lost Because of a Terrible Split-Second Decision

There are some things you read that just stop you cold.

An obituary for an 11-year-old is one of them.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety recently shared the story of Lilyana Loycano, a young girl described as “a beacon of sunshine who only wanted to help others.” In the same breath, her family wrote about the “void left by her tragic passing” and how her legacy will live on through organ donation.

READ MORE: Minnesota Mother Speaks Out 12 Years After Tragic Loss

That’s the kind of thing your brain doesn’t want to accept. A life that should be full of firsts… suddenly reduced to memories.

And this wasn’t some unavoidable tragedy.

According to DPS, Lilyana was killed in Independence, MN when a driver blew through a stop sign at 63 miles per hour while looking at their phone this past February. Gone just like that.

Minnesota Distracted Driving Deaths: Real Stories Behind the Numbers

As hard as that is to process, Lilyana isn’t alone.

There’s Qiara Gleason, a 26-year-old mom of four who died in a fiery crash in St. Paul. Investigators say the driver of the car she was a passenger in was paying attention to food instead of the road. Qiara’s kids now grow up without their mom.

There’s Shane Loughney, a 48-year-old from Cottage Grove. A carpenter. A dog lover. The kind of guy who showed up when someone needed help. He was killed in May of 2025 when a semi driver looked down at a map instead of forward at traffic.

Three completely different lives. All gone for the same reason.

Minnesota Distracted Driving Statistics Show a Growing Problem

Here’s what makes this different than a lot of the tragedies we cover.

This isn’t weather. It’s not a medical emergency. It’s not something that “just happens.”

This is a choice.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, distracted driving crashes between 2020 and 2026 have led to:

• More than 33,000 crashes
• 888 serious injuries
• 162 lives lost

And in 2025 alone, 21 people in Minnesota died because someone wasn’t fully paying attention behind the wheel.

Not because they couldn’t. Because they didn’t.

Minnesota Hands-Free Law Reminder: Why “It Can Wait” Matters

Everyone thinks they’re the exception.

Just a quick glance at a text.
Just checking directions.
Just grabbing something to eat.

Nothing bad is supposed to happen in those few seconds. Until it does.

And for the people left behind, everything changes in a moment they had no control over.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month in Minnesota: What Drivers Need to Know

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month in Minnesota, and you’ll see more law enforcement out reminding drivers to stay focused.

But this isn’t about tickets.

It’s about moments like the ones above never happening again.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety puts it pretty simply: “distracted driving is a choice, and the crashes that come from it are completely preventable.”

Put the Phone Down, Minnesota

Every time you get behind the wheel, you’re making a decision.

Phone down or not.
Eyes up or not.
Focused or not.

For Lilyana, Qiara, and Shane, someone else made the wrong one.

You don’t get to control everything on the road, but you do get to control that.

READ MORE: Minnesota Woman Shares How a Simple Date Night Turned Into a Terrifying Moment She’ll Never Forget