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Brian Bakst

Parents of Anoka County girls hit by car thank rescuers, call for safety improvements

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Two 14-year-old girls remain hospitalized this holiday weekend after being struck by a vehicle in Anoka County on Tuesday.

Their parents spoke with the media on Friday, giving thanks for good Samaritans who came to the girls' aid, and calling for safety improvements along the busy highway.

Anneliese Lamotte and Kaia Bollmann were struck in a crosswalk on State Highway 47 near St. Francis Middle School on Tuesday evening on their way to choir practice. The best friends were in a crosswalk when they were hit.

The driver of the vehicle, a 54-year-old Isanti man, stopped at the scene and has been cooperating with authorities. The crash remains under investigation.

The girls' parents provided an update Friday at the intensive care unit at HCMC in Minneapolis. Lisa Lamotte said her daughter is in serious condition after lower body surgery.

"We do have a lot to be thankful for. Right now our girls are alive, and they're getting the best care possible," she said.

"I'm thankful that my daughter is alive, that Annie's alive, and there wasn't a worse tragedy," said Jill Kelley, Kaia's mother.

Kaia remains in critical condition and faces a long road to recovery.

Kelley said a man she identified to reporters only as Adam, along with another passerby, came to the girls' aid and administered first aid until paramedics arrived Tuesday.

"He quickly pulled over and he jumped out of his truck and ran over to Annie first. He took off his coat and put his coat over her. And then ran over to Kaia and realized she was not breathing and didn't have a pulse," Kelley said.

She said the man immediately called a friend with medical training who coached the rescuers in CPR. Kelley said the quick action was crucial in saving her daughter's life.

The girls' parents are pressing for safety improvements for pedestrians.

Chris Lamotte said the stretch of Highway 47 where his daughter was hit has been unsafe for too long. He wants transportation officials to install a pedestrian bridge.

"We're just average working people. I don't deal with my representatives and my governor and our local mayor and these things on a daily basis, or even know how necessarily to get a hold of them," he said. "But I'm gonna. They're going to find out. I'm going to be a thorn in somebody's side over this."