Two children hospitalized after their car landed in a frigid St. Louis Park pond continued to improve Saturday while more than $8,500 poured into a fund within 24 hours to help the family.
Marion Guerrido, 23, was driving on Hwy. 7 shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday morning when her Pontiac Grand Am went off the ramp near Hwy. 100 into a holding pond with her three young children and her boyfriend's two children inside. She escaped uninjured, but the five children sank with the car and were unresponsive when they were rescued.
On Saturday, Guerrido's 5-year-old, Amani Coleman-Guerrido, continued to improve, opening his eyes at Hennepin County Medical Center while her 1-year-old daughter, Aliyana Rennie, also showed signs of recovering at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital.
"They're moving in the right direction," said Rick Petry, a family friend and attorney.
However, 6-year-old Zarihana Rennie, the daughter of Guerrido's boyfriend, Julius Rennie, remained unresponsive at HCMC.
Rennie's daughter, 5-year-old Zenavia Rennie, and Guerrido's 7-year-old Alarious Coleman-Guerrido, died Thursday. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner said on Saturday that both children drowned. Funeral services haven't yet been announced.
The accident drew national attention and support for the family, Petry said, even from total strangers.
"Everybody is rallying together," he said.