Crash on way to protest claims life of Grafton man

James Larson
A 22-year-old Grafton man died of injuries sustained in a traffic accident while he was en route to a protest in the City of Milwaukee on June 4.
James Larson was fatally injured while he was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Tess Monty, 22, of Cedarburg. Monty was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Monday with fleeing an officer resulting in death.
Larson was one of several passengers hanging out of the windows and sunroof of the Honda Pilot that Monty was driving, according to authorities.
When police attempted to pull Monty over after she drove through a red light, she sped away and crashed into a Mini Cooper at the intersection of North Sixth and West Locust streets, according to a criminal complaint.
Officers estimated Monty was driving between 50 and 60 mph at the time, the complaint states. Police had discontinued the pursuit and saw all passengers but one had gotten back inside the vehicle before it collided with the Mini Cooper.
When officers arrived, they found Larson slumped over the rear window on the driver’s side.
“The person was not conscious and did not appear to be breathing,” the complaint states.
Officers did chest compressions at the scene, and the Milwaukee Fire Department transported Larson to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed Larson died from blunt-force injuries to his head and torso.
There were seven people in the Pilot, which had severe front-end damage, authorities said. A bike inside the vehicle impaled one of the passenger’s arm and leg.
The Mini Cooper had front-end damage, and its engine was separated from the body of the vehicle.
Passengers in the Pilot told police they were headed to a demonstration on Milwaukee’s north side to protest the death of George Floyd, who died while being arrested by Minneapolis police last month.
According to his obituary, Larson graduated from Cedarburg High School in 2016. He attended the University of Oregon for one year, studying business before moving back to Wisconsin to study film at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“He wanted to work on movie film sets, his interests were lighting and set design,” the obituary states.
On Monday, Milwaukee prosecutors charged Monty with fleeing or eluding an officer as a vehicle operator, resulting in death. If convicted, Monty could serve as many as 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
She was also charged with fleeing or eluding an officer as a vehicle operator, resulting in great bodily harm, which could result in as many as 12 years of imprisonment and a $25,000 fine.
A funeral service for Larson was to be held at Immanuel Cemetery in Cedarburg at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 11.
Larson’s family has asked for memorials in his name to be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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