'She is not replaceable': Friends and co-workers remember Douglas County corrections officer killed in crash

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Everyone who knew 37-year-old Sara Zimmerman said to know her is to know kindness, positivity and support.

Zimmerman's co-workers said the Douglas County corrections officer often brought light to an often dark place.

"Sara was one in a million," Michael Myers, director of corrections Douglas County said. "She is not replaceable."

"She’s the type of person you look forward to walking into a building like that and bring positivity to a hard job," Bryan Laux, president, Nebraska Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 8 said.

Last Thursday night, Zimmerman and a friend were struck and killed in a vehicle crash near the intersection of S 192nd and F St.

On Sunday evening at the site of the crash, Zimmerman’s friends and co-workers mourned the sudden loss of her and her passenger and friend 38-year-old Amanda Schook.

A growing memorial bears three crosses at the crash site, the third for Zimmerman's unborn baby. She was eight months pregnant.

The pain of losing all three lives so suddenly was seen on the faces of everyone who gathered, a pain Zimmerman's friends and co-workers are dealing with by remembering her impact while doing their best to live up to the example she left behind.

"She always had a smile, always had a laugh." Christie Mertz, a co-worker said.

Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.

Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.