Wet road, driver error cited in St. Louis Park pond crash

A preliminary investigation shows that the driver who lost control on a highway entrance ramp and went into a St. Louis Park holding pond — an accident that killed two children and injured three — may have overcorrected on the wet road.

The State Patrol said that initial accident reconstruction found evidence of overcorrection on the road after the early-morning crash on Nov. 21, according to a search warrant filed in Hennepin County last week. The document also asks to remove the car's sensing and diagnostic module, or SDM, which may have recorded factors such as speed, braking, RPMs and throttle position.

Shortly after 6 a.m. that day, Marion Guerrido, 23, veered off the ramp from westbound Hwy. 7 to northbound Hwy. 100 after dropping her boyfriend off at work to take their five children to school or day care. Guerrido escaped uninjured, but the five children were unresponsive when rescued. Guerrido's 7-year-old son, Alarious Coleman-Guerrido, and Julius Rennie's 5-year-old daughter, Zen'Avia Rennie, both drowned.

Final investigation results might not be released for weeks and will be forwarded to the county attorney to consider charges, the State Patrol said Tuesday.

In the meantime, the other three children are continuing to improve. Guerrido's 5-year-old son, Amani Coleman-Guerrido, started physical therapy, and was walking and playing out of intensive care on Tuesday, said Rick Petry, a family friend and attorney. Guerrido and Rennie's 1-year-old daughter, Aliyana Rennie, was taken off sedation Tuesday, and Rennie's 6-year-old daughter, Zarihana, is also improving, Petry said.

"If people didn't believe in miracles, they sure should now," he said.

On Tuesday, Lt. Eric Roeske of the State Patrol wouldn't comment on the investigation or elaborate on the initial evidence. Guerrido's 1998 Pontiac Grand Am sedan remains at the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Brooklyn Park.

Investigators also haven't released details on whether the children were wearing seat belts. But Petry said Tuesday that he thinks they were, contributing to the difficulty for Guerrido to free them from the sinking car in the frigid 9-foot-deep pond.

Zen'Avia's funeral is scheduled for noon Saturday at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. A private service for Alarious will be held Sunday, Petry said.

A fund that Petry set up to help the family with funeral expenses and mounting medical costs has collected nearly $20,000 in 11 days. "That's huge," he said. "The medical bills will be astronomical for each of these kids."

In a CaringBridge post, Guerrido thanked all of the supporters — many of whom are strangers.

"If for one moment our children's lives could touch and affect so many other people in the way they affected us," she wrote, "everyday it is a blessing."

Staff writer David Chanen contributed to this report.