Driver, 17, runs Champlin stop sign, hits kids in crosswalk; 1 badly hurt

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: July 9, 2009 - 11:59 AM

A 17-year-old boy failed to obey a stop sign and his pickup truck struck two children in a Champlin intersection as they walked to a park with their grandfather, sending one of the kids to the hospital with serious injuries, authorities said.

Hit shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday were an 8-year-old girl and her 13-year-old brother as they were in the crosswalk heading south on Winnetka Avenue and crossing 114th Avenue, Police Chief Dave Schwarze said this morning.

The girl suffered broken ribs and a broken leg and is in serious condition at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, authorities said. Her brother was slightly hurt, and the grandfather was not struck, Schwarze said.

The chief said there is no indication that the driver had been drinking, but he is being tested for drug and alcohol use, which is a standard procedure.

Names of those involved, including the driver, have not been released. They are all from Champlin.

The driver, heading west on 114th, failed to stop at the stop sign, Schwarze said. The teen has yet to be cited as authorities await completion of the State Patrol's investigation, the chief said.

While "the pedestrians did nothing wrong," Schwarze said, he wants citizens to know that they still need to "look both ways and be careful before heading into an intersection. Make sure the driver is really going to stop. Make that eye contact with the driver."

--Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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