ST. LOUIS — A large pile of snow on the highway caused the car crash that killed a McKendree University water polo coach, her husband alleges in a suit filed this week.
Colleen Lischwe, 35, was driving her Toyota Prius early one January morning on eastbound Interstate 44 near the Vandeventer Avenue overpass when a problem with her car prompted her to pull over toward the shoulder, the suit says.
But a large snow bank was in the way, so she couldn’t get off the road. Her car was hit by a semitrailer going 60 mph, catapulting her over the snow pile and down onto Vandeventer.
The suit says the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, which is in charge of snow removal on public highways, is to blame.
“As a result of the subject collision, and the severe injuries sustained, Colleen Lischwe, loving wife and mother, died,” the suit says.
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A spokeswoman for the highways and transportation commission declined to comment on pending litigation.
Lischwe, of St. Louis, had worked since 2017 as the head coach of the McKendree University women’s water polo team in Lebanon, Illinois. A year later, she took over the men’s team as well.
Her death on Jan. 15 came after a string of winter storms in January dumped inches of ice and snow on the region, prompting days of business and school closures and complaints about inadequate snow removal.
Loved ones remembered her as a compassionate, yet tough coach who brought out the best in her players.
She is survived by her husband, Casey Colgan, and a 3-year-old daughter.
The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount of damages. A hearing has not been set in the case.
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