Community Corner
Surviving Sisters to Walk, Rally in St. Michael-Albertville Grad's Memory
Sara Deckert's three sisters were devastated by the loss of their beloved "Rose" when she was killed by a drunk driver two months ago in Maple Grove. Sunday, they'll walk near the site of her fatal accident, and fight for a new cause.
"She should be here," Sara Deckert's sister, Leah, said. "She should be able to see this."
Instead, Deckert's family can only remember, reflect, and hope that something like what happened to their sister never happens again.
Deckert is the St. Michael-Albertville High graduate who was killed in early July after a drunk driver, also from Albertville, fled a traffic stop and crashed into her as she turned her car onto Hennepin County Highway 81 near 93rd Avenue in Maple Grove.
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This Sunday, just a few miles away from that tragic accident scene, Sara's surviving family, including her three sisters, who have formed the group "Sisters for Sara," will walk in her honor.
The event, dubbed the "Sisters for Sara Walk," will begin at 8 a.m. in Chimpmunk Park, located inside the Elm Creek Park Reserve. Events will conclude at noon.
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Sara Rose Deckert, 28, died at 1:18 a.m. July 10 when Jeremiah Robert Wall, 34, fled a traffic stop initiated by a Hennepin County Sheriff's Deputy on suspicion of driving under the influence. He traveled at a high rate of speed down County 81, and entered the intersection of the highway with 93rd Avenue against a red light. Wall's older model Chevy sedan plowed into the Pontiac Grand Am driven by Deckert and killed both drivers on impact.
Deckert had been working at Stearns Manufacturing, but took off this spring for Nicaragua, where she taught Spanish and English.Β
She was remembered by a friend from Granada in a blog soon after her death.Β
She was a huge fan of music, her father, Don, said, particularly the Smashing Pumpkins.Β
The band included a tribute to Sara on its Facebook page, seen here.Β
She was recently made an aunt by her sister, Amber, who said she was "heartbroken" her daughter's aunt would never "see her grow up."Β
She would have been an aunt for the second time, as her sister, Leah, is expecting. She is survived by one other sister, Arielle.
The three sisters are also working to change legislation that will allow law enforcement official to take the keys from a driver they feel is a "flight risk" when initiating a traffic stop.
That law, they told KMSP Fox News, could have saved Sara's life.
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