A close relative has identified the father and young son who were hurt on a Chisago County lake when an allegedly drunken snowmobiler roared through an occupied icehouse and clipped the family's pickup truck.
The 8-year-old boy was dragged across the ice by the snowmobile and critically hurt, according to the Chisago County Sheriff's Office.
The incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. Friday on the north end of Chisago Lake, about a mile south of Chisago City. The snowmobiler, who also was injured and hospitalized, admitted he had been drinking and was arrested, the Sheriff's Office said.
A blood sample was taken at the hospital from the man, who refused to take a preliminary breath test, the Sheriff's Office continued. Results are pending. Authorities have yet to identify the man, and charges could come later this week.
The boy, Alan Geisenkoetter Jr., suffered "significant swelling" of his brain, a bruised lung and many broken bones, according to a CaringBridge page established by Alison Cromie, his aunt. He remained hospitalized in the Twin Cities on Sunday night, she said, and was showing signs of responsiveness.
"Alan is stable and fighting so hard. We won't have many updates until later this week. It's all just a waiting game until his brain swelling decreases," wrote his mother, Ellie Geisenkoetter, on the CaringBridge page about 7 p.m. Sunday.
His father, Alan Geisenkoetter, 43, also was hit by the snowmobile while putting up the ice-fishing house. "He is sore and bruised but had no major injuries," Cromie said Sunday night.
The father was setting up the icehouse while his wife and young daughter were sitting in the truck's cab, and Alan Jr. had just gotten out, Cromie said on the page. They had been out on another lake earlier that night, she said.