PORTAGE, Wis. — A Portage family’s 4th of July plans are shattered. Instead of spending the weekend with their daughter and sister Ashley Slama, they’re planning her funeral.
The driver who deputies believe is responsible for her death is now in jail, but her family wants to see justice served.
“We are going to fight to the end to make sure that he understands what he’s done, what he has taken away from this family,” said Treyton Schommer, Slama’s brother. “My sister will get justice for his stupidity and his actions.”
The Sauk County Sheriff’s Department said early Saturday morning a deputy pulled over a car for a traffic violation on CTH T in the Township of Delton. Slama was one of the two passengers in that car. But when the deputy walked up to the car, the driver took off.
According to a Facebook post, the deputy did not chase after the car. But as he continued driving, he came upon the crash scene where he found Slama dead and the other passenger injured.
“My sister’s life was worth less than a ticket so he took off, and then that’s when she was pinned under the car after being ejected from the vehicle,” said Schommer.
The driver had run off, leaving Slama and the other passenger in the road.
“There was nothing that they were probably going to be able to do to help her, but you could’ve held her hand. She didn’t need to be alone, to sit there alone, to lay there alone,” said Schommer. “Even if you didn’t know her, that’s a human.”
The Sheriff’s Office said citizens calling in were able to help deputies find the driver and they were taken into custody later that morning. The driver’s name has not been released yet.
Even though nothing will bring Slama back, Schommer said his goal is to share her smile with the world.
“I want everyone to know who Ashley Slama was and what was lost,” he said. “My sister was the most loving, crazy, rambunctious, free, just free soul person I’ve ever known.”
The family set up a Go Fund Me to raise money for funeral expenses. Schommer said they plan to do a celebration of life on Slama’s birthday next week at her favorite spot, Devil’s Lake.
“My family is very, very rich in love. But with COVID and everything it’s been so hard,” said Schommer. “My sister needs and deserves that final goodbye.”
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