A car struck two girls riding minibikes in Brooklyn Center on Thursday, killing one child and leaving the other in critical condition. Police said the driver stayed at the scene and cooperated as investigators worked to sort out what happened at the intersection.
The girls were 7 and 9 years old. They were riding eastbound on 63rd Avenue North as they approached Brooklyn Drive when a car traveling south on Brooklyn Drive hit them, Brooklyn Center Commander Richard Gabler said. Both were taken to North Memorial, where one was later declared dead. As of 4:40 p.m. Thursday, the other girl remained in critical condition.
The crash drew immediate attention because it involved two young children and happened in a place neighbors already considered risky. There was no stop sign at the intersection, and Richard Anderson said uncontrolled crossings in the area are dangerous. “Everytime I drive through them, I slow down on purpose and look both ways,” he said, adding that extra traffic control could make neighborhood streets safer.
What police did not say was just as important as what they did. They did not identify which girl died, and they had not said whether any charges or citations were expected for the driver. That left the central facts clear but the next steps uncertain, even as the scene itself pointed to a collision that ended one young life and put another in critical condition before Thursday was over.
People near the intersection were left trying to make sense of what they had seen. Aidon Stockwell said he noticed the girls riding around earlier in the morning, then later saw fire trucks and police cars crowding the area. “I noticed the…the little scooter whatever from earlier and like I just realized who got hit,” he said. Patricia Allyn said she felt for everyone involved, including the driver, while the questions now turn to how the crash will be handled and whether the intersection will stay exactly as it is.
