Mother and daughter who died in Chippewa County car crash had ties to Elk Mound school district
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TRAGIC ACCIDENT — Sara Lemay and her 11-year-old daugher, Tara Lemay, died after their vehicle, shown above, left State Highway 64 in the Town of Cleveland in Chippewa County the evening of June 10 and overturned in a swamp. Lemay work for the Elk Mound School District. Tara had just completed the fifth grade at Mounds View Elementary. —photo courtesy of the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office
By LeAnn R. Ralph
ELK MOUND — A mother and daughter who died as a result of a Chippewa County car crash in the Town of Cleveland were an employee and a student in the Elk Mound school district.
According to a Facebook posting dated June 13 by the Elk Mound school district, Sara LeMay worked in the district’s food service department, and her daughter, 11-year-old Tara LeMay, had just finished fifth grade in the school district.
The June 13 post indicated that counselors would be available at the school district for those who needed support last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The Elk Mound school district posted on the district’s Facebook page June 15 that a Go Fund Me page had been created by Briana Amundson to accept donations to help pay for the funeral services of Sara and Tara LeMay.
According to a news release, on Friday, June 10, at around 8:30 p.m., the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a one-vehicle crash on state Highway 64 one mile east of 210th Avenue in the Town of Cleveland.
A vehicle was upside-down in a swamp, and the caller, along with the assistance of others, located an adult woman in the water.
They pulled the woman out of the water and began life-saving measures.
A juvenile also was trapped in the vehicle, and those who stopped to give assistance were able to pull the juvenile out of the car and also to begin life-saving measures.
The woman, identified as Sara M. LeMay, age 48, died from her injuries.
The juvenile was flown by Lifelink helicopter to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the news release.
The preliminary investigation revealed the woman was operating the vehicle traveling eastbound on state Highway 64 when she lost control and entered the ditch. The vehicle overturned and came to rest upside-down, mostly submerged in water, according to the news release.
The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department, the Cornell Fire Department, Cornell Ambulance, Chippewa Falls Ambulance, two Lifelink helicopters and the Chippewa County’s Coroner’s Office responded to the accident.
Chippewa County Sheriff James L. Kowalczyk sent out an e-mail message at 2:05 p.m. June 13 in which he wrote, “With much regret I am sad to announce the passing of 11 year-old Tara LeMay, daughter of Sara LeMay, who were both involved in the traffic accident last Friday.”
