Hospital employee, server killed in "horrific" Park Tavern patio crash
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A hospital employee and a server are dead and four others are hurt after what the owner of Park Tavern called a "horrific" fatal patio crash Sunday evening.
At around 8 p.m., a man drove into the St. Louis Park establishment's parking lot and, after attempting to park, drove his car into the outside patio area.
One of the victims killed was 30-year-old Park Tavern employee Kristina Folkerts, who was a mother of three children, according to owner Phil Weber.
Methodist Hospital confirms one of their employees died in this crash as well, and four nurses were injured. The deceased hospital employee was identified by co-workers as Gabe Harvey.
The driver, identified by city officials as a 56-year-old St. Louis Park man, was arrested on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide. He has not yet been formally charged. He has two previous DWI convictions, from 2013 and 2015.
"Kristina was just one of the family"
Weber says Folkerts was a second-generation Park Tavern server. He says they've set up a GoFundMe to help support her family, which has raised almost $44,000 as of early Monday evening.
"Kristina was just one of the family. And her mother actually worked for us, too. And her mother was pregnant with Kristina while she worked here, so it's still, it's just unbelievable," Weber said. "Being here as long as we've had, we've had quite a few people pass away, but not in this manner. And this is just, you know, horrific. I mean nobody can even believe this is what happened."
A spokesperson for Methodist Hospital shared a statement with WCCO, which reads in part: "Our focus in the days ahead will be in supporting our colleagues and the loved ones of those affected by this tragedy. The close relationships our colleagues have with each other is part of what makes Methodist a special place. Park Tavern has been a tremendous partner to our hospital for many years and our thoughts are with them as well."
Weber says he too sees Methodist as a partner.
"They've been just amazing customers. Retirement parties, one a week, probably one a week a retirement party, and you know what they had to go through during COVID was just horrific," Weber said.
Park Tavern is closed until further notice while the staff processes this loss and picks the pieces back up. Weber assured WCCO that the restaurant will continue to be the heart of St. Louis Park and will recover from this tragedy.
"We'll get through and we'll keep doing what we do. We have no other choice," Weber said.
"He had a heart of gold"
Methodist Hospital is located just over a mile southeast of Park Tavern. While hospital officials have yet to officially name the deceased employee, they said Harvey was a "loved and respected colleague."
Harvey was there with other Methodist Hospital nurses celebrating a colleague's last day before going to CRNA school.
"I picked out a yellow and orange plant because he reminds me of the sunshine," ICU Nurse Laci Haviland said.
Haviland stopped by to bring flowers and pay her respects Monday at a growing memorial outside Park Tavern. She said she had just been working with Gabe Harvey less than 24 hours prior, during a shift she didn't know would be his last.
"He just got along with everyone. He was welcomed at any unit he would go to but the ICU was his home unit," she said.
There was a steady flow of people coming to the restaurant to leave flowers next to the tavern's patio and pay their respects to the victims, including Methodist employees like Mary McGibbon.
"I feel so devastated to wake up to this. These were wonderful people, colleagues of mine, and I just pray for their well-being and wish them peace," McGibbon said.
She said Harvey "had a heart of gold."
Always smiling, and he loved his colleagues," she said.
Jill Morin, who also works at Methodist, picked flowers with her daughter from their garden at home to bring to the memorial.
"I've worked at Methodist 20-plus years and I was just really shook up. We heard the sirens last night and didn't know what was going on, so to hear that lives were taken by a very unexpected tragedy was really upsetting," Morin said. "We really are one big community and yeah, we've lost a piece of that last night."
Online fundraisers have been set up for the two deceased victims and the three nurses who were critically hurt. A fourth nurse who was hurt has been discharged from the hospital.
"We even had colleagues that went to the hospitals last night to where our other nurses are just to support their families," Haviland said.
Harvey was a health coordinator and preparing to start nursing school, she said.
"He would have been the best nurse," she said.
Harvey's colleagues describe him as having a heart of gold, always smiling and loving his colleagues.
Police say they want witnesses and others who may have been injured in the crash to call 952-924-2165. Those with footage of the crash are asked to submit their videos to police online.
NOTE: This article was amended on Tuesday to update the number of victims who survived the crash.