Rochester Uber driver facing felony charges after passengers injured in Tesla showboating crash

Mark Wasson, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·1 min read

Jun. 21—ROCHESTER — A Rochester man is facing felony charges in Olmsted County District Court after four passengers were injured following an April 2022 crash in Rochester, according to court documents.

Eldon Gale Nelson, 40, is charged with three felony counts of criminal vehicular operation and one gross misdemeanor count of criminal vehicular operation. He's scheduled to appear in court July 26, 2022.

According to the criminal complaint filed June, 21, 2022:

Nelson, working as an Uber driver, picked up four people at a residence in Rochester in a newer model Tesla the night of April 29, 2022.

A passenger told law enforcement that the group talked about the brand new car after entering the vehicle and at the entrance ramp of U.S. Highway 52 he attempted to show off the car's powerful engine.

"He accelerated to a frightening speed, lost control and crashed into the concrete median," reads part of the complaint.

All four passengers were injured in the crash. Injuries suffered by the passengers include a fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and one was knocked unconscious.

In a follow-up interview, Nelson told law enforcement he lost control trying to show off his car and estimated he was going 90 mph.