Charges filed against driver in fatal 2023 Anoka County crash

A man charged in a deadly crash in Nowthen last year swerved into oncoming traffic at night while towing a plow that was too wide for the road, court records allege.

Berend Willem Bouwman, 24, of Brooklyn Park, is charged with one count of criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the Nov. 17 crash that killed 32-year-old Cole Deiley and left two passengers with head injuries.

According to a criminal complaint, Bouwman was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck while towing a chisel plow around 8 p.m. on Jarvis Street Northwest when a Chrysler minivan crashed into the plow attachment.

The plow struck the front of the minivan on the driver’s side, leaving it “sawed open” and severing Deiley’s arm, the complaint states.

Deiley, who was driving the minivan, was pronounced dead at the scene. Deiley’s romantic partner, 30, suffered a concussion, and their 2-year-old child was diagnosed with a skull fracture and brain contusion and needed nine facial stitches. Their 4-year-old child was also taken to the hospital for treatment.

A Minnesota State Patrol crash reconstruction revealed several factors that amounted to “gross negligence” on Bouwman’s part, charging documents allege.

The chisel plow was 14 feet, 10 inches wide, while the section of road only had 12-foot lanes in either direction. The plow was a “minimum” of 3 feet into the oncoming lane at the time of the crash, and Bouwman appeared to have swerved to the left to avoid hitting a sign on the roadside, according to the complaint.

Investigators also found Bouwman failed to properly illuminate the plow. While it was equipped with lighting, there was no electrical connection between the plow and the pickup. Bouwman allegedly used flashing lights on the truck but “they were inconsistent with the requirements under Minnesota statute.” There wasn’t a lead vehicle warning of a wide load, either.

“It is believed, based on the foregoing circumstances, that [Deiley] was unable to see the chisel plow until it was too late,” the complaint states.

Bouwman was charged via summons, and his first court appearance is set for July 26.