FARGO - A 16-year-old Ogema, Minn., boy suffered "extremely serious" injuries when he was hit by a vehicle Monday while in-line skating near Strawberry Lake, Becker County Sheriff Tim Gordon said.
The vehicle's 30-year-old driver didn't have a valid license and could face criminal charges, Gordon stated in a news release issued Tuesday.
The victim and another 16-year-old boy, also from Ogema, were skating in the westbound lane on County Road 34 when the westbound vehicle hit the boy near the County Road 143 intersection. The vehicle ended up in the westbound ditch as the driver attempted to miss the skater, the news release stated.
Authorities have not identified the boy, but friends and family say Landon Hochstetler was rollerblading home with a friend when he was hit by a car, according to the Detroit Lakes News Tribune.
A CaringBridge website for Hochstetler says, "due to concerns about brain trauma," he was sent by Lifeflight from Fargo to the ICU North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis.
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The website also reports that he's now in stable condition despite being unconscious. The family is waiting for additional updates from his doctors.
Emergency personnel responded to the accident at 8 p.m. The victim was airlifted from Detroit Lakes to a Fargo hospital, the news release stated.
"Multiple factors appear to be the cause of this accident, including low light, darker clothing worn by the individuals and location of their activity on the roadway," Gordon stated in the release, adding speed and alcohol didn't appear to be factors.
The accident remains under investigation.
The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
