Former GOP Operative Pleads Guilty to DUI in Lilydale Crash

South metro resident Michael Brodkorb, the former Senate staffer seriously injured in a January car crash in Lilydale, pleaded guilty Wednesday to driving under the influence of alcohol.

A Dakota County District Court judge sentenced him to a year of probation for the fourth degree DUI, and he paid fines and fees totaling $836, according to the Pioneer Press.

Brodkorb, 39, told the paper he didn't remember much of what happened after he left the Moose Country on Jan. 23 but that he felt lucky to be alive.

"You just look at the world different when you get a second chance," he said. "Statistically, I should not have walked away from the accident the way that I did."

Brodkorb, who is still recovering from his injuries, said he would become vocal about driving safety.

“I have seen the pain and horrific tragedy of drunk driving affect those close to me and I should have made different decisions,” he said in a statement quoted by CBS Minnesota. “While the publicity involving my accident has been very difficult for my family, it will hopefully bring additional public awareness to the serious dangers of driving while intoxicated and the importance of wearing your seat belt.”

Police say Brodkorb was driving in the northbound lanes of I-35E when the vehicle he occupied, a 2004 Subaru Forester, ran off the right side of the road and struck a cement wall, according to the state patrol. The vehicle then careened back across the northbound lanes and hit the median wall, where it came to rest.

He was the only occupant of the vehicle at the time, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

An investigation revealed the former Republican staffer had an alcohol concentration of 0.10, above the limit of 0.08 for impaired driving, according to a urine sample analyzed by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.