Pedestrian Critically Injured In Hit-And-Run Is Duluth Firefighter; Driver, 88, Arrested

January 26, 2024

Dan Hanger,

Raymond Skoglund

DULUTH, Minn. – FOX 21 has learned a pedestrian critically injured in a hit-and-run incident is a Duluth firefighter who joined the department in July of 2021.

Raymond Skoglund

Raymond Skoglund, 24, was struck by a vehicle Thursday around 5:45 p.m. on the 9500 block of Grand Avenue, according to Duluth police.

Caleb Kittleson, a fellow Duluth firefighter, said Skoglund “is in the Intensive Care Unit being treated for two broken legs, a fractured rib and cervical vertebrae, broken nose and jaw, and multiple minor brain bleeds.”

Raymond Skoglund

Kittleson said Skoglund is a “proud firefighter both on Duluth Fire Department as well as in the Air National Guard 148th Fighter Wing. Ray is an incredibly dedicated and loving man to his family, friends and everyone he meets. He loves to stay active, spending his time skiing, mountain biking, and many other outdoor activities with loved ones.”

Skoglund joined the 148th Fighter Wing in 2017, according to a fire official.

According to a GoFundMe page set up by the Kittleson and the Duluth Firefighters Union, Skoglund was in stable condition Thursday, but has a long recovery ahead of him. The goal of the GoFundMe is to cover Skoglund’s bills throughout his recovery.

Meanwhile, police have arrested an 88-year-old Duluth man on pending charges of “Criminal Vehicular Operation Hit and Run Gross Negligence, Hit and Run Failure to Stop for Injury Accident, and Criminal Vehicular Operation Great Bodily Harm Driver Leaves Scene.”

FOX 21 does not normally name suspects until they are formally charged by the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office.

Mayor Roger Reinert released the following statement about Skoglund:

“The news of last night’s hit and run incident seriously injuring one of our own has been hard. Our thoughts and prayers are with Firefighter Skoglund and his family, as well as his colleagues at Duluth Fire, as they navigate this extremely difficult time. Our DFD team has really rallied around Ray and his family. We respect and encourage the privacy and space the Skoglund family has requested as they navigate their path forward.”