Minnesota Families Share Warning 5 Years After Horrific High-Speed Crash That Killed Two
We all know speeding is dangerous; still, most of us have probably caught ourselves going a little faster than we should at some point. However, when you hear what happened to Dalton Ford and Tayler Garza, those numbers on the speedometer are put into perspective.
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More than five years after the young Minnesota couple was killed in a high-speed crash, their families are sharing their story with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
An Easter Morning That Changed Two Families Forever
On April 4, 2021, Dalton and Tayler, both 22 years old, were traveling on County Road 42 near Burnsville when their vehicle was struck as they were making a left turn.
Investigators determined the driver who hit them, Leon Bond, had been racing his sister, Camille Dennis-Bond. Surveillance video showed the vehicles traveling between 91 and 112 mph on a road where the speed limit was 50 mph, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
The collision split the vehicle in half, and both Dalton and Tayler were killed.
For Dalton's mom, Veronica Ford, the news came during an already heartbreaking weekend. Her father's funeral had been held the previous day, and when she saw a police officer approaching her home, she initially thought he was there to offer condolences.
Instead, he asked if Dalton Lee Ford was her son.
“He said I need you to hold my hands,” Veronica told the DPS. “So, I held his hands, and he told me.”
Soon, grief was joined by anger.
“The more we found out about what had happened and how it happened, then I got angry,” Veronica said. “It could have been completely prevented.”
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Dalton and Tayler Were Just Getting Started
Dalton and Tayler were two young people who were building their lives.
Dalton recently earned an associate degree in automobile technology from Dunwoody College. Tayler was working as a certified nursing assistant while taking classes toward a nursing degree.
“She was growing into a young woman,” Tayler's father, Brandon Garza, told DPS. “She had just signed a lease on her first apartment just 12 days before this happened.”
For Brandon, what happened to his daughter is a reminder that public roads are no place to race.
“There was no reason to do that. Do it right — go to a track if you need to race your stupid cars. Don’t do it in public on Easter morning where you could hurt people,” he said.
What Happened to the Drivers?
Both siblings faced criminal consequences for their roles in the crash.
Camille Dennis-Bond, 19 years old at the time, was convicted of third-degree murder, criminal vehicular manslaughter, and criminal vehicular operation. In March 2023, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with 10 years to be served in custody and five years on supervised release.
Leon Bond, who was 17 at the time of the crash, pleaded guilty to his role in the deaths. He was convicted of third-degree murder in juvenile court and received a stayed 25-year prison sentence and probation after prosecutors unsuccessfully sought to have him tried as an adult.
READ MORE: Minnesota Mom Warns Others After Tragic Loss of Two Sons
Speed Continues to Take Lives in Minnesota
The crash happened in 2021, but the problem the families are talking about hasn't gone away.
Preliminary data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety shows more than 100 people died in speed-related crashes across Minnesota in 2025. More than 160,000 speeding citations were also issued during the year.
And speed doesn't have to reach triple digits to make a crash more dangerous. The faster a vehicle is moving, the less time a driver has to react, and the more severe a crash can become.
“We know every crash impacts a family, and every traffic death leaves someone grieving,” Office of Traffic Safety Director Mike Hanson said. “Too many drivers seem to miss that message.”
Hanson said drag racing and reckless driving have no place on Minnesota roads and reminded drivers that everyone behind the wheel has a responsibility to help keep others safe.
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A Hole That Doesn't Go Away
The Ford and Garza families spent months waiting as investigators worked the case and the court process began. Years later, dangerous behavior on the road still hits differently.
“It’s frustrating,” Dalton's brother, Dayne Ford, told DPS. “You just wanna grab those people by the shoulders and say, ‘What are you doing!’”
That's ultimately why these families are telling their story.
They can't change what happened on April 4, 2021. But maybe their story can make someone ease off the gas, or think twice before making a reckless decision behind the wheel.
Dalton's father, James Ford, described what his family has lived with ever since.
“To this day, it is like we have a hole in our home,” James said. “It will never be repaired, and you don’t want to be responsible for doing that to another family as a driver.”