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Mar 13, 2009 11:07 am US/Central
Family: Apple Valley Hit-And-Run Victim Dies
APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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The accident happened just after 9 p.m. on March 6, when Joan Levasseur, 26, was hit and seriously injured.
CBS
An Apple Valley woman who was struck by a vehicle while crossing a street last weekend died Friday morning after being taken off life support.
On Joan LeVasseur's CaringBridge Web site, her stepfather, Bob Boever, said LeVasseur died around 4:20 a.m. He also said some of her organs were donated. A funeral is being planned for March 21 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rush City, Minn.
The accident happened just after 9 p.m. on March 6, when LeVasseur, 25, was hit and seriously injured.
LeVasseur's friends huddled together on the corner of Cedar Avenue and 153rd Street. They were braving the cold to say goodbye.
"We all love Joan very much. She was a happy girl a wonderful lady. I have no idea why this happened to her," said friend Chris Larson.
Many went to school with LeVasseur at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault. They wanted her family at the hospital to know they are thinking of her as she loses her life.
"The only word I could come up with what this family has gone through is it's been monstrous," said Boever. "To lose such a sweet loving person in such a violent way ... to have not caught the person would have just been another injustice on top of all this hurt."
Apple Valley Police said Thursday that the department had received a tip on Wednesday that a 2003 Ford Focus, which had front end damage, may have been involved in the hit-and-run.
Detectives went to 16225 Glengary Court, in Lakeville, Minn., where they located and seized the car for forensic evidence.
Police are interviewing the owner of the car, Eric Hunter, and a woman named Laura Hunter.
Police don't know yet who was driving the car but WCCO found neither Eric Hunter nor Laura Hunter should have been driving. Eric Hunter's license is suspended. He was pulled over four times last year. Laura Hunter's license is revoked from a DUI.
Police said the couple has an attorney and they are still trying to get to the bottom of what happened.
Now that so many days have passed, her family and friends say they can't wait any longer to find justice for Joan.
"Please give us peace to Joan's family and to me," said friend Rachel Eggert.
The Apple Valley Police Department continues to investigate the incident.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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