Minnesota man with history of driving drunk charged in patio crash that killed 2 and injured 9
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A man with a history of drunk driving was charged Tuesday with criminal vehicular manslaughter, days after he… rammed his car on the patio of a restaurant in Minnesota, where a group of medical professionals were partying after work. Two people were killed and nine others were injured.
Steven Frane Bailey, 56, faces two counts of criminal homicide by intoxication and negligence, and nine counts of criminal vehicular injury. The number of charges could rise as more victims come forward, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a news conference Tuesday.
A 30-year-old mother of three who worked as a waitress at the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park and a medical worker at a nearby hospital who was well-liked by his coworkers both died after Bailey said he stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake. Nine others were injured in the deadly crash, which left a Minneapolis suburb shocked that a pleasant evening of outdoor dining could end in tragedy.
“Bailey could have simply decided to stay home or take a Lyft instead of driving drunk,” Moriarty said. “This tragedy took the lives of two people and injured several others, and it was completely preventable.”
Moriarty did not know whether Bailey had retained an attorney Tuesday. Phone calls to him and a family member, as well as an attorney who represented him in a previous case, were not returned Tuesday.
Surveillance footage captured Bailey pulling into the parking lot of Park Tavern, driving past an open parking space and hitting a parked car as he tried to back out, according to a criminal complaint. He then pulled away and accelerated toward the patio, driving through a metal gate into a crowded area where patrons, restaurant staff and several children were gathered, court documents state.
His gray BMW came to an abrupt stop after hitting several rocks on the patio. The waitress who died, Kristina Folkerts, was pinned under the car until officers pulled it off her. She died at the scene. Gabe Harvey, who was at the restaurant to party with several colleagues from Methodist Hospital, was hit and later pronounced dead at another medical facility.
Tables, chairs, beer glasses and furniture were scattered across an artificial turf pitch, evidence of the chaotic scene.
As officers approached Bailey’s vehicle, they heard him talking on his cell phone, prosecutors said. They reported hearing him say, “I stepped on the gas instead of the brake and drove right through something” and “I’m probably going to jail.”
A preliminary breath test showed the man had a blood alcohol level of 0.325%, which is four times the legal limit, Moriarty said.
Court documents show Bailey has two previous convictions for drunk driving, once in 2014 and again in 2015.
Four Methodist Hospital nurses who were with Harvey on Sunday were injured. Two are in serious condition, two have less serious injuries and one has been released, the hospital said in a statement.
The Park Tavern restaurant and nearby Methodist Hospital have supported each other for years as pillars of a quiet Minneapolis suburb. The restaurant sent meals to the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, because medical workers were too busy. And those same workers visited the restaurant after work.
The Park Tavern is a “family-friendly destination” with bowling, arcade games, a restaurant and a bar, according to its website. In a written statement posted online, the restaurant said it would partially reopen Wednesday in a special event.
Jacque Smith, a spokesperson for St. Louis Park, said the city would recover.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed and injured, and to the many who witnessed this traumatic event,” Smith said in a statement. “We know the St. Louis Park community will stand together in the wake of this tragedy.”