TOWN OF WEST BEND, Wis. — Family members have identified the man who passed away after a Whitefish Bay associate principal allegedly crashed into him in a drunk driving crash.
Dave Cournia, 75, was injured in the crash on December 29, 2024. According to a criminal complaint, Rebecca Salomon, associate principal of Cumberland Elementary in Whitefish Bay, ran a stop sign and crashed into Cournia's car.
Cournia died five days later, on January 3, 2025.
Cournia was a U.S. Marine who went on to work in the restaurant industry then with the Milwaukee County Transit System. He had a blended family filled with children, stepchildren, and grandchildren.
Watch: Family identifies man killed in alleged drunk driving crash in Washington County
The complaint says Salomon told a deputy she had been at Lucky Shots, a tavern in West Bend, and admitted to drinking three margaritas.
She failed field sobriety tests, and her blood alcohol level was 0.10, according to the complaint. Her male passenger was arrested after allegedly acting hostile toward the responding deputy.
The Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Cournia's cause of death as craniocerebral injuries from the crash.
"I would want him to be remembered as a family man has somebody who did everything, and anything that he possibly could for those around him," Connor Larkin told TMJ4 News.
Larkin always felt close to his grandfather. Cournia made friends easily and brought joy to those around him.
"It's unfortunate. My grandfather always had had a dream of retiring on the beach. You know he was working very hard for that. He did his best," Larkin shared.
Cournia's family believes injuries from a previous car crash several years ago played a factor in his death.
When asked about Salomon, Larkin said he was unsure about his feelings.
"Sure, the other person is to blame, but I don't have a lot of ill will towards that individual. They made a mistake," Larkin stated.
Salomon's initial court appearance is scheduled for March 18.
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