By Shannon Fiecke, Staff Writer

An 11-year-old boy clung to life after he was struck by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle in Shakopee Monday night.

The driver, 40-year-old Randal Hennes of Prior Lake, whom authorities say fled the scene, now faces felony charges of criminal vehicular
injury, failing to stop for an accident and third-degree drunken driving.

Shakopee student Nicholas James Hagadorn was crossing Marschall Road at the intersection of 17th Avenue about 8:48 p.m. when he was allegedly hit by Hennes, whom witnesses said had a green light.

Hagadorn was listed in critical condition, as of noon Wednesday, at Hennepin County Medical Center.

A relative told a local TV station that Hagadorn had a lot of internal injuries and underwent surgery to repair a torn aortic valve to his heart.

Witnesses told police the boy was on the northeast corner of the intersection, trying to cross west, when he was hit. They said the truck driver had a green light, but didn’t apply brakes until after striking the bike.

A Shakopee police officer, who came upon the accident while responding to a different call, watched a teal-colored Chevrolet truck pull away from the scene, make a U-turn at the next stoplight, and then drive past the accident scene as it headed south, according to the criminal compliant.

Shortly after, the suspect’s pick-up truck was located by a Scott County Sheriff’s deputy on Marschall Road near County Road 12. Part of the truck’s grill was missing and a headlight was
out.
Hennes, Randal
According to the criminal complaint filed Wednesday, when he was stopped, Hennes got out of his truck and asked, “Is the kid all right?”

He told the deputy he was just driving his girlfriend home and then he was going to return to the scene.

The girlfriend told the deputy Hennes was driving her home when a child on a bicycle came out of nowhere and Hennes struck him and continued
driving.

The deputy smelled alcohol on Hennes and saw that his eyes were bloodshot and watery.

Hennes told the deputy he only had one drink, and it may have been a strong one.

He failed a preliminary breath test and also performed poorly in a field sobriety test. Before being booked into Scott County Jail for pending
formal charges, Hennes was taken to the hospital for blood work. The results may not be known for a few weeks.

The Minnesota State Patrol is conducting a reconstruction report and will be assessing vehicle speed, as well as other factors, such as what the intersection signals were set at the time of the crash.

Charges could be amended as more is known about what occurred or if the boy doesn't survive.

Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the case, but there are other possible contributing factors, such as the downpour of rain at
the time of the crash and poor lighting at the intersection, Police Captain Jeff Tate said on Tuesday.

He said the city will wait for the state report before determining the cause of the crash.

On Wednesday, Tate reported that the boy was “holding in there,” and his condition had stabilized, but was still listed as critical.

Hagadorn, who just finished fifth grade at Pearson Elementary School, was about one-third of a mile from his house on Colonial Street when he was struck. The child’s mother had told him to stay home, Tate said, but he had left and was on his way back.

The boy wasn’t wearing a bicycle helmet, but the injuries were extensive throughout his body, Tate said.

Hagadorn was unresponsive at the accident scene. Tate believes the boy wasn’t breathing, but had a slight pulse.

“We’re just hoping he pulls through,” he said on Tuesday.

Tate said lots of accidents occur at every signalized intersection on Marschall Road, and it’s not unusual for there to be bike-vehicle accidents in town.

“This is about as serious as it gets as far as injuries,” he said.

A shopping center, anchored by Kohl’s and Target, is located on the northeast corner of the intersection, and St. Francis Regional Medical
Center is on the southeast side. The boy was transported to the nearby hospital and then airlifted to Hennepin County
Medical Center in Minneapolis.

The child’s parents arrived on the accident scene very quickly and went to St. Francis as well, Tate said. He didn’t know how the family
discovered the crash so soon.

The family is declining media interviews at this time, said Tate, who was fielding media calls all day on Tuesday.

Hennes was previously convicted in 2004 of third-degree drunken driving after rear-ending a car in Belle Plaine. The driver of the
other vehicle in that crash claimed she was injured and sued him for damages in civil court, but settled the case out of court.

In 2005, Hennes was also convicted of possessing marijuana and giving a false name to a police officer when he was pulled over for weaving while driving with a revoked license.

Ruth Anne Maddox contributed to this report. Shannon Fiecke can be reached at (952) 345-6679 or sfiecke@swpub.com.