A suspected drunken driver caused a multivehicle pileup in Coon Rapids on Saturday afternoon, seriously injuring four people, including two young children.
Anoka County sheriff's deputies responded to the scene on Main Street NW. and Shenandoah Blvd. just before 4 p.m. On arrival, they found a bystander performing CPR on a 2-year-old boy.
A preliminary investigation found that a 54-year-old motorist was heading eastbound on Main Street in his pickup truck when he began skidding sideways — ultimately slamming head-on into an incoming sedan. Two other vehicles traveling westbound were also struck after the driver crossed the centerline, authorities said.
The driver, a Blaine man who has not been identified, was arrested on suspicion of DWI and criminal vehicular operation. He was not hurt.
The crash injured a carfull of people, including two toddlers. A 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy were transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital, then transferred to Children's Hospital with serious injuries. The younger child remained in critical condition late Saturday.
The driver, a 29-year-old man from Lino Lakes, and his adult female passenger were both taken to Mercy Hospital. The man was released with minor injuries and female passenger was hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
The two other motorists involved were not hurt, deputies said.
