Written by Paul Walsh
star tribune
DULUTH, Minn. — A Duluth firefighter who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident while running received a heartening sendoff from his colleagues Monday as he headed to Colorado for extensive physical therapy.
Ray Skoglund, 24, was out for a late afternoon run on January 25th when he was hit by a minivan. The impact left him with fractures in his limbs, ribs and vertebrae, as well as brain and facial injuries, according to the Duluth Fire Department.
Skoglund was transferred Monday morning by medical transport from Essentia Health Hospital in Duluth to Craig Hospital in suburban Denver, where he will receive advanced inpatient neurological rehabilitation care at the Neurorehabilitation Center for an undetermined period of time. .
Members of the Duluth and Hermantown Fire Departments, the Duluth Police Department, and the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 148th Fighter Wing placed a large American flag on Air Monaco at Duluth International Airport as part of the send-off. Mr. Skoglund was previously a firefighter with the Hermantown Patrol.
Skoglund sat upright as he was transferred from the ambulance to a waiting plane.
“We are honored to help the Skoglund family through their darkest hour and look forward to Ray’s continued recovery,” said Duluth Fire Chief Sean Krizai. “We can’t wait to welcome Ray and his family back to headquarters and hopefully when he is able to take up the 1 Engine position.”
“We know he may have a long road ahead of him, but if anyone can take on this marathon, it’s Raymond,” Mayor Roger Reinert said.
The hit-and-run driver, Ronald Myrdal, 88, of Duluth, was jailed and charged in St. Louis County District Court on charges of operating a vehicle. Court records do not list an attorney.
Myrdal was then transferred to St. Luke’s Hospital, where tests showed he had “severe dementia” and other illnesses, court records said.
Around 5:45 p.m. on January 25, police responded to the 9500 block of Grand Avenue and found Skoglund seriously injured after being struck while driving on the shoulder. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
The driver told investigators that he saw a minivan behind him with its headlights off on nearby Commonwealth Avenue. The driver said he tried several times to signal to the van driver that the lights were off.
The driver of the van veered off the road twice, hitting Skoglund, and “did not stop, brake, or increase speed,” the criminal complaint states. The accident occurred after sunset in dark conditions with no surrounding light.
A police officer who had just finished his shift was dispatched to the scene and asked for a description of the accident and vehicle. Officers found the van in a grocery store parking lot more than six miles north of where the crash occurred. The vehicle had significant damage to the front end.
Myrdal left the store and told officers the van was his and that he “admitted to hitting something” while the headlights were off, according to the complaint.
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