A hospital worker and a server with strong family ties to the restaurant at which she worked were killed on Sunday night when a car plowed into the outdoor patio at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, Minn.
Kristina Folkerts, the 34-year-old server and mother of three, and Gabe Harvey, a health unit coordinator at nearby Methodist Hospital who was in nursing school, were identified as the victims via GoFundMe pages set up by their families.
Four other nurses from Methodist Hospital were reportedly injured in the crash, according to The Star Tribune and local KTSP. PEOPLE has reached out to the hospital for an update on their conditions.
Local KARE 11 reported that Folkerts was a mother to three children between the ages of 1 years old and 7 years old.
“Kristina was a loving mother of 3 young girls and friend to many in the community,” the GoFundMe page set up by Park Tavern in support of her family read. “We are at a deep loss and thank you for your support during this challenging time.”
Folkerts was a beloved member of the Park Tavern staff, according to KARE 11. Her mother was a server at the same restaurant growing up. But when Folkerts was 14 years old, her mother died, and the other employees reportedly rallied around her in support. Several other servers at the restaurant had babysat Folkerts when she was growing up, as well, according to the outlet.
“We’re heartbroken over the loss of Kristina, a wonderful mother and friend, and we’re rallying to support her three young girls during this unimaginable time,” the restaurant posted Monday on Facebook. In a separate post, Park Tavern announced it will remain closed “until further notice as we support and care for our staff and neighbors.”
Steven Frane Bailey, 56, was arrested after the incident and charged with criminal vehicular homicide, according to jail records reviewed. Bailey is being held without bail, the Hennepin County Sheriff records show.
The St. Louis Park Police Department said in a statement online that surveillance footage allegedly shows Bailey drive into the Park Tavern parking lot and attempting to park before driving into the restaurant’s outdoor patio.
The Tribune reported that Bailey has two prior drunk driving convictions and that officials are investigating whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash on Sunday night. Park Tavern’s general manager Terry Freeman alleged to the outlet Bailey’s driving was like “out of a damn movie” and that he “barreled right through.”
Harvey and a group of other nurses were at the restaurant celebrating another nurse’s last shift, according to KTSP.
“There was not a soul that Gabe met that he didn’t leave an impression on,” reads a GoFundMe set up to assist his partner with funeral expenses. “He always had a smile and a kind word for everyone.”
A memorial with flowers, messages and work uniforms from both Methodist Hospital and Park Tavern was set up outside the restaurant on Monday, according to KTSP, as community members continued to stop by to add to the memorial and remember the victims.
How many times do we hear stories like this? People with multiple DWI’s released again and again until they kill people. They aren’t going to stop drinking and taking license means nothing to them. If they get caught it’s a slap on the wrist. There should be a mandatory time they spend in jail before they are allowed bail and if caught driving the bail is revoked. They also have what’ve longer mandatory sentences.