1 of 2 Forest Lake HS track athletes hit by car is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries

The teenagers were in a group of runners crossing Hwy. 61 at the crosswalk, the state patrol said.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 1, 2024 at 9:07PM

One of two Forest Lake High School track athletes hit by a car while on a training run was in critical condition Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

The two 15-year-old boys were struck about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday by a man driving a 2001 Cadillac DeVille as a group of runners crossed Hwy. 61 at N. 202nd Street, the State Patrol said Wednesday afternoon.

Samuel James Farinella was taken by air ambulance to Regions Hospital with life-threatening injuries, the patrol said.

The other boy, Jase Dylan Blanchard, was also flown to Regions and is expected to survive his injuries, according to the patrol.

The patrol identified the driver as Robert Leroy Creager, 84, of nearby Lindstrom.

Creager was driving south on Hwy. 61 when he struck the two teenagers who were “in a group of runners crossing Highway 61 at the crosswalk,” a patrol statement read.

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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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