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Woman remains in critical condition following Saturday accident; man faces felony DUI charge

Jeff Munson

As a 22-year-old South Lake Tahoe woman clings to life, her 24-year old roommate will go before a judge Tuesday facing a single charge of felony driving under the influence causing injury.

The charge follows an early Saturday morning single-car accident.

April Krouskoupf, a preschool teacher at Kindertown, remained in critical condition today at Renown Medical Center in Reno and on life support following the 1 a.m. accident at 10th Avenue and Taylor Street in South Lake Tahoe.



The woman’s parents, Lisa and Jay Krouskoupf, were by their daughter’s bedside today, along with family and friends. Krouskoupf suffered two punctured lungs, a possible skull fracture, multiple fractures to the face, several broken teeth and a severed tongue that was sewn back on, her parents said. She is a 2003 graduate of South Tahoe High School.

Patrick Curtis of South Lake Tahoe faces the charge of driving under the influence.



According to authorities, Curtis was driving a Chevy Nova with Krouskoupf as a passenger when it crashed into a power pole near the corner of 10th Avenue and Taylor Street.

The passenger side, where Krouskoupf was sitting, received the most damage. Curtis did not receive major injuries, police said.

Lisa Krouskoupf said the couple had been out during the night. She did not know the circumstances of the accident, but was told that Curtis faces DUI charges.

The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation. Curtis was booked into El Dorado County Jail and will appear before a judge Tuesday, according to the district attorney’s office.

Meanwhile, friends erected a memorial at the power pole, wishing for Krouskoupf’s recovery. An account has been established at U.S. Bank, said family friend Brenda Rogers. Krouskoupf doesn’t have health insurance and faces weeks in the hospital, Rogers said. Her parents are staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Reno.

“She is in the best place she can be in right now,” her father said today. “I have faith that she is going to be all right. She’s a tough girl.”


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