Crossing Hwy. 36 deadly for mom pushing stroller

Alicia Galdick was a doting mother, friends said, so when her 2-year-old son asked for M&M's candy Thursday night, she scrounged up all the change in her North St. Paul apartment and walked to a nearby Holiday station with the boy and friends in tow.

But that routine trip turned deadly when she ran against a "Do Not Walk" sign on Hwy. 36 and was struck by a car about 9:45 p.m., according to the State Patrol. The impact sent her flying 35 feet and her son, who was in a stroller she was pushing, flying 65 feet along the 4-lane highway, witnesses said.

The stroller bent and wrapped around Galdick. One of her hands still gripped a handle.

"I didn't know what to do," said Galdick's longtime friend Heather Jessen, who was at the scene. "I just started crying. [The stroller] was wrapped around her neck."

Galdick, 23, and her son, Michael Lott, were taken to Regions Hospital, where she died. Michael was transferred to Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul and is expected to survive.

Galdick's mother, Laura Demulling, said her grandson has bruised lungs, a broken leg and head injuries.

She described her daughter, a 2006 graduate of Tartan High School, as "very loving and very giving."

"She loved her son," Demulling said.

Galdick was on Hwy. 120 (Century Avenue) walking northbound at Hwy. 36 when an eastbound car struck her and Michael.

"It's a sad situation that was so easily preventable," said Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske.

Jessen, her boyfriend, James King, their 2-month-old son and three other children between ages 2 and 15 also were present.

Galdick was the first to step into the crosswalk, King said.

Jessen's niece, Cayli Sheffler, was about to step into the crosswalk, but a cousin saw the car and yelled. The young girls yelled at Galdick, who noticed the car after they called her name a third time. Galdick's last act was to turn the stroller away, Sheffler said.

The group was returning to Galdick's apartment building located on Century Avenue less than a block from the crash scene. Jessen's sister, Samantha Jessen, lives across the hall from Galdick. The three women were close friends.

Galdick worked full-time at Marshalls in Maplewood and was always helpful, recently allowing a homeless friend to briefly live with her, according to the Jessen sisters.

"She was a very caring person and a wonderful mom," said Samantha Jessen.

The State Patrol said Galdick had been drinking Thursday. Samantha Jessen said Galdick had a few sips of beer and "wasn't drunk."

The car's driver, Raymond Muckala, 67, of Oakdale, and his passenger, Susan Nelson, 53, of Stillwater, were uninjured. Muckala was not under the influence of alcohol, according to the patrol, nor is he expected to be cited.

An Oakdale man was killed at the same intersection last October. Anthony J. Mailloux, 19, was running southbound across Hwy. 36 at Century Avenue when he was fatally struck. The car that struck him was traveling east and had a green light.

Galdick's friends said they cross the busy intersection multiple times a day and have never had a close call before. However, they noted that the crosswalk can be difficult to navigate and said they want to see a pedestrian bridge cross over Hwy. 36.

The speed limit there is 55 miles per hour.

"That intersection scares the hell out of me," said Samantha Jessen. "But there's no way you can go around it."

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