Recent Sartell graduate identified as victim of fatal crash in Stearns County

Support is pouring in for the family of a recent Sartell High School graduate killed in a car crash this week.

Ellie Wittstruck, 18, died in a crash in central Minnesota on Monday. A GoFundMe has since been created to support Wittstruck’s family, including her parents and two sisters.

“The loss of a child is an unimaginable pain and heartache that no parent should have to endure. Ellie had a huge heart,” the GoFundMe reads. “Having just graduated in the class of 2024 from Sartell High School, her future was full of opportunities."

According to her obituary , Wittstruck planned to join the Coast Guard in February and hoped to be an underwater mechanic or marine biologist.

The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened around 2:15 p.m. Monday at the intersection of County Road 9 and County Road 52 in Avon Township. Wittstruck died at the scene while an 18-year-old passenger in the car with her was airlifted to St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

As of Saturday, the fundraiser had reached around $8,300 of its $15,000 goal.