Mother, daughter killed when 800-pound boulder fell off truck, smashed their car; driver in custody: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A mother and daughter died when a roughly 800-pound boulder fell off a truck and smashed into their car, and now that truck driver is in custody, according to police. Karen Christiansen, 67, was driving with her daughter, Jena Christiansen, 32, in Rosemount, Minnesota, Monday afternoon when the massive boulder dislodged from the back of the truck and crashed into their 2002 Toyota Avalon, the Rosemount Police Department said. The mother and daughter, both of Shoreview, Minnesota, died from blunt force head trauma, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office said. PHOTO: A mother and daughter died when a roughly 800-pound boulder fell off a truck and smashed into their car in Rosemount, Minn., July 9, 2018. (KSTP) PHOTO: A mother and daughter died when a roughly 800-pound boulder fell off a truck and smashed into their car in Rosemount, Minn., July 9, 2018. (KSTP) (MORE: Boulder thrown from overpass kills young man in car with his family: 'Please help us' find the suspect, pregnant wife says) (MORE: 22-year-old man killed by sandbag was planning to propose) "My heart is broken," Jena Christiansen's boyfriend, Ryan Kilian, told ABC affiliate KSTP in Minneapolis. "She is the most amazing person I have ever met." After the crash, authorities turned to surveillance video to track down the commercial truck involved, according to KSTP. PHOTO: A mother and daughter died when a roughly 800-pound boulder fell off a truck and smashed into their car in Rosemount, Minn., July 9, 2018. (KSTP) On Wednesday, detectives identified the commercial vehicle driver and owner as Joe Czeck, 33, of Hastings, Minnesota, police said. Czeck was arrested and declined to give a statement, police said Thursday. He was taken to the Dakota County Jail. He has not yet formally been charged, Rosemount Police Chief Mitchell Scott told ABC News Thursday.<doc-sep>An unsecured boulder fell off of the back of a truck and killed a mother and daughter in Minnesota. Karen Christiansen, 67, and Jena Christensen, 32 were pronounced dead on the scene on Monday, according to officials. After taking testimony from witnesses, detectives with the Rosemont Police Department were able to identify and arrest 33-year-old Joseph Czeck, the alleged driver of the vehicle, on Wednesday. Czeck is facing charges of criminal vehicular homicide and leaving the scene without calling authorities or lending aid, according to RPD Chief of Police Mitchell Scott. Investigators believe that the boulder was not sufficiently secured to Czeck’s truck. “If your load is not secured, if something happens because you’re negligent, you’re responsible,” Scott told NBC News. While detectives initially estimated the boulder to be about 800 pounds, after weighing the boulder it was found to be about 1100 pounds, Scott said. “We have a lot of info we were able to obtain, a lot of info from witnesses,” Scott said. “We’re just kind of putting that all together, making sure we’re doing our due diligence and doing a thorough investigation.”<doc-sep>Authorities say a driver and her daughter were killed when an 800-pound boulder rolled off the back of a landscaping truck and struck their car in suburban St. Paul.Karen Christiansen, 67, and her 32-year-old daughter, Jena Christiansen, were killed in Rosemount Monday afternoon when the boulder dislodged from the truck and hit their Toyota Avalon. They both died at the scene.Rosemount Police Chief Mitchell Scott says a 33-year-old Hastings man was arrested Wednesday after investigators used surveillance video to identify the truck, its owner and the driver. WCCO reports Joe Czeck did not stop at the scene. Scott said the tragic accident serves as a reminder to truck drivers to secure their cargo.“It’s evident to us that it was not secured in the back of the vehicle,” Scott said. “It’s very traumatic for the families. We don’t see this type of accident every day. "Jena's boyfriend wrote a note to KTSP, reading: "She is the most amazing person I have ever met. She was so smart and beautiful. She made me the man I am today I would be nothing without her. She would do anything for anyone who needed help she loved her family so much. She had an amazing sense of humor, I literally have spent hours just talking to her. "A family friend told reporters Karen was "a sweetheart of a lady." Czeck was booked into the Dakota County Jail. Charges are pending. Authorities say a driver and her daughter were killed when an 800-pound boulder rolled off the back of a landscaping truck and struck their car in suburban St. Paul. Karen Christiansen, 67, and her 32-year-old daughter, Jena Christiansen, were killed in Rosemount Monday afternoon when the boulder dislodged from the truck and hit their Toyota Avalon. They both died at the scene. Advertisement Rosemount Police Chief Mitchell Scott says a 33-year-old Hastings man was arrested Wednesday after investigators used surveillance video to identify the truck, its owner and the driver. WCCO reports Joe Czeck did not stop at the scene. Scott said the tragic accident serves as a reminder to truck drivers to secure their cargo. “It’s evident to us that it was not secured in the back of the vehicle,” Scott said. “It’s very traumatic for the families. We don’t see this type of accident every day." Jena's boyfriend wrote a note to KTSP, reading: "She is the most amazing person I have ever met. She was so smart and beautiful. She made me the man I am today I would be nothing without her. She would do anything for anyone who needed help she loved her family so much. She had an amazing sense of humor, I literally have spent hours just talking to her." A family friend told reporters Karen was "a sweetheart of a lady." Czeck was booked into the Dakota County Jail. Charges are pending.<doc-sep>
Two Minnesota women were killed by a boulder after it became dislodged from a moving car and slammed into theirs Mother and Daughter Killed After Boulder Falls Off a Truck Crushing Their Car, Driver Arrested Two Minnesota women were killed by a boulder after it became dislodged from a moving car and slammed into theirs. The victims, Karen J. Christiansen, 67, and Jena H. Christiansen, 32, were pronounced dead after the boulder hit their 2002 Toyota on Monday, according to a press release from the Rosemount Police Department. The two women, who were mother and daughter, had “significant trauma” from the crash. WABC reported the pair died from blunt force head trauma. jena-christiansen-1-2000a Credit: Jena Christiansen Instagram The boulder weighed about 800 lbs. and it took four firefighters to move it from the Toyota, CBS News reported. The boulder allegedly went through the entire vehicle. “What sad about this is it could have been prevented,” Rosemount Police Chief Mitchell Scott told the outlet. He added the boulder “was not secured in the back of the vehicle.” “It’s so important. We’re in a society today where we’re in such a hurry that we don’t always secure things,” Scott added. “It’s so important to secure loads.” Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Police arrested the driver of the truck carrying the boulder, Joe P. Czeck, on Wednesday. The 33-year-old was driving a car from the company he owned, the press release said. joe-czeck-1-2000 Joe P. Czeck | Credit: Dakota County Jail He was arrested and booked into Dakota County Jail, although charges against him are pending, according to Fox News. Jena’s boyfriend, Ryan Killian, released a statement to local news outlet WCCO saying she was “the most amazing person I have ever met.” “She was so smart and beautiful. She made me the man I am today, I would be nothing without her,” Killian said. “She would do anything for anyone who needed help. She loved her family so much, she had an amazing sense of humor.”