Duluth hit-and-run driver gets probation after injuring two pedestrians

A 68-year-old Duluth driver will serve probation after a hit-and-run on West Skyline Parkway injured two pedestrians and sent the case through the courts for months. Jeffry Luck pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal vehicular operation, closing a case that began with a westbound vehicle fleeing the 3800 block of the corridor.

Duluth police said the crash happened at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, when two pedestrians were struck in the 3800 block of West Skyline Parkway. The victims were a 58-year-old woman and a 74-year-old man. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a local hospital by Mayo Ambulance. Police said the vehicle was found a short time later.

Authorities later identified Luck as the suspected driver. Police said he was initially held at a local hospital before being booked into the St. Louis County Jail on pending criminal vehicular operation charges, including one count involving substantial bodily harm and one count involving bodily harm. He later admitted guilt to two counts of criminal vehicular operation.

The sentence did not include jail time. Instead, the case ended with probation, a result that leaves Luck under court supervision but avoids incarceration even after a crash that injured two people and prompted a felony-level criminal case. For residents who travel Skyline Parkway, the outcome underscores how a hit-and-run can move from a roadside collision to a criminal conviction without ending in prison.

The case also lands against a backdrop of continuing safety concerns on Skyline Parkway. The City of Duluth has said the roadway was the site of changes after two fatal crashes in February 2024, including a one-way section, a delineated pedestrian area and marked pedestrian crosswalks at trail crossings. Those changes were designed to address a corridor known for overlooks, trails and steady foot traffic.

For St. Louis County drivers, the case is a reminder that fleeing a crash does not make the legal consequences disappear. Even when injuries are non-life-threatening, prosecutors can pursue criminal vehicular operation charges, and judges can still impose probation, leaving the crash itself and the accountability question at the center of the outcome.