2017 Las Vegas Shooting Claims Its 59th Victim

The Route 91 Harvest Festival massacre, which took place on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, has claimed another victim….

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

November 18, 2019

11:58 am

A hat is left at a makeshift memorial during a vigil to mark one week since the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival, on the corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip; Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The Route 91 Harvest Festival massacre, which took place on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, has claimed another victim.

The shooting, which remains the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, claimed its 59th victim over the weekend, as festivalgoer Kim Gervais succumbed to her injuries.

The victim’s sister, Dena Sarvela, confirmed her death to Fox 12 Oregon.

“She is, was, she still is… she’ll never leave my heart, ever,” she told the news organization.

Kim Gervais attended the festival, which was headlined that evening by Jason Aldean, with two friends. Sadly, only one of them walked away without injuries.

“She was in the hospital, rendered quadriplegic, and the other one, she saw die in front of her,” Sarvela explained.

Gervais reportedly passed away on Friday evening (Nov. 15) after her heart stopped beating.

“She hurt. Even though she was paralyzed from the neck up, she could feel all the pain,” Sarvela said. “There was scrap metal still in her because he used exploding bullets.”

The two years since the shooting were not easy for Gervais.

“It took almost a year before she was able to transport out to go back home to California, that was rough,” Sarvela shared. “She lost her zest for life because of it, because of the shooting, because of her injuries that she sustained. It was hard to be that same person, that we all know and love.”

The two spoke the night before the concert and Gervais shared her plans to soon retire, Sarvela revealed.

“She was going to sell the business, she was ready to just go abroad and enjoy life, like she should have, and it was snatched from her,” she said. “She worked her life, and butt off for – just to go enjoy, you know, and she doesn’t get that, she doesn’t get that chance.”

Sarvela said her sister’s passing is a bit bittersweet. She’s sad to lose her, but knowing that Gervais is now reunited with her husband, who passed away in 2000, makes it a little easier to digest.

“I also know she was missing her husband very, very much, and that’s what gives me hope – that she’s with him right now. Gives me a lot of hope, and I know they are,” she said.

Kim Gervais is the 59th victim of the deadly 2017 Las Vegas shooting. Over 400 others were wounded in the massacre.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.