CALEDONIA, Wis. — 20-year-old Johanna Renee Pascoe of Racine was killed by a drunk driver Monday around 6:15 a.m. while on her way to work at Aurora St. Luke’s Hospital.
The crash happened on Highway 32 in Caledonia. Investigators say the other driver crossed the center line and hit Johanna’s car head-on.
That driver, Ernesto Rodolfo Regalado, 21, is being held on a $500,000 bond at the Racine County Jail. He faces serious charges including homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, as well as knowingly operating a vehicle without a license causing death.
The day before Johanna was killed, she made ornaments with her nephews and spent time with her two sisters.
Just this past Friday, she dedicated her graduation speech to her sisters. They attended her nurse pinning ceremony at Gateway Technical College, where she worked her way through school and was on the Dean’s List.
They never imagined that within three days, Johanna’s life would be cut tragically short.
“I was at work Monday morning,” said Elisha Pascoe, Johanna’s oldest sister. “I was on a break telling my coworkers about Johanna’s graduation ceremony, and I kept getting these random phone calls that I thought were spam, but when I listened to the voicemail, it was Caledonia Police.”
Police told Elisha that Johanna had been in a bad car crash, was extricated from her car, and airlifted to Froedtert. Doctors did everything they could, but they told Johanna’s family that she had died on impact, could not breathe on her own, and was brain dead.
“We were in shock,” said Elisha. “We just held her and rubbed her arms. Deep down we were really hoping that she’d just wake up, even though the doctors told us she was gone.”
They can’t help but be angry but are trying to focus on planning a beautiful memorial service to honor Johanna’s life.
“She had the brightest future,” said Elisha. “She was filled with a passion for life. She had a zest for learning and taking care of people. She had the kindest heart and everybody who knew her or met her could see how bright her light was. There’s no reason for anyone to drink and drive. It is such a senseless, selfish act.”
Johanna’s family and Caledonia police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward and share what they saw.
A GoFundMe page has also been created to help Johanna’s family.
