Saturday, November 23, 2013

Slow Saturday Special: Guerrido Was Driving Illegally

"Driver in Minn. pond crash only had permit" by Amy Forliti |  Associated Press, November 23, 2013

MINNEAPOLIS — The woman who was driving a car filled with children when it veered off a suburban Minneapolis highway ramp and plunged into 9 feet of water did not have a valid driver’s license, authorities said.

Two of the five children died, authorities confirmed Friday, while three remained hospitalized a day after the crash. The five children, ages 1 to 7, were removed from the car after it was towed into shallower water.

See5 children pulled from car submerged in Minn. pond

Two of the hospitalized children are improving and are responding to commands, a family spokesman said Friday. ‘‘So that’s a huge improvement,’’ attorney Rick Petry said. The third child remains in stable but critical condition.

The driver, Marion Guerrido, is the mother of three of the children; the other two children are her boyfriend’s. She had a Minnesota driver’s permit but not a license, said State Patrol Lieutenant Eric Roeske. Guerrido’s permit was considered invalid because she was not driving with a licensed driver, as required, at the time of the crash, he said.

The crash happened Thursday morning in St. Louis Park. Petry said Guerrido was taking the children to her mother’s to finish getting them ready for school when the crash happened.

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