Hospital employee, server killed in "horrific" Park Tavern patio crash
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A hospital employee and server are dead after what the Park Tavern owner 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.
Two people were killed and three others were injured, city officials said.
The driver was arrested for criminal vehicular homicide. He's identified as a 56-year-old St. Louis Park man. He has not yet been formally charged.
Park Tavern owner Phil Weber did confirm with WCCO that one of the deceased victims was Kristina Folkerts, a server at the restaurant. She was a 30-year-old mother of three and a generational employee, as her mother also used to work at the bar.
"Kristina was just one of the family," Weber said. "Being here as long as we've had, we've had quite a few people pass away, but not in this manner. This is just horrific. Nobody could even believe this is what happened."
Methodist Hospital confirms one of their employees died in this crash as well, and three of their nurses were injured. They did not name the deceased employee. A spokesperson for Methodist Hospital shared this statement with WCCO:
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.
The hospital is located just over a mile southeast of Park Tavern.
"They've been just amazing customers. Retirement parties, probably one a week, and what they had to go through during COVID, just horrific," he said. "So we've become sort of a partner with the hospital."
Park Tavern is closed until further notice while the staff processes this loss and picks the pieces back up. Meanwhile, a memorial has grown on the patio. The owner 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 keep doing what we do. We have no other choice," Weber said.