Inset: Janet Torrisi-Mokwa (KTVI/YouTube). Background: The car that Janet Torrisi-Mokwa was driving after a 2,900-pound piece of concrete landed on it (KMOV/YouTube).
The city of St. Louis has reached a settlement with one of its former police chiefs, who filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in 2018 after his wife was crushed and killed by a 2,900-pound “piece of concrete” that fell from a local bridge after a car struck it, according to court documents.
Joseph Mokwa, who served as St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief from 2001 to 2008, agreed to a six-figure settlement Monday, with an amount of $251,244.52 going to him and $253,755.48 to his attorneys at Bruntrager and Billings, PC. The agreement was authorized by St. Louis Judge Scott A. Millikan, with Mokwa’s motion for approval outlining what allegedly happened to his wife, Janet Torrisi-Mokwa, 58, who served on the Boards of the Humane Society, the Professional Organization of Women and the World Pediatric Project.
“Torrisi-Mokwa, was operating her motor vehicle on Forest Park Parkway,” the motion says, describing the July 23, 2018, incident. Police responded at around 12:15 p.m. that day after the incident unfolded, according to local reports.
“Demaya Angelou Love [the other driver] was operating her vehicle while traveling south on Union Blvd. when she suddenly lost control of her vehicle, striking the curb, an electric signal, driving up onto the sidewalk and striking the bridge barrier/railing,” the document alleges. “After striking the bridge barrier/railing, the barrier broke apart sending concrete pieces down onto Forest Park Parkway below.”
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According to Mokwa’s lawyers, his wife’s vehicle was struck with a “2,900-pound piece of concrete” from the Lindell-Union Bridge above, killing her. They reportedly argued in their lawsuit that the bridge failed to meet local safety standards and was allegedly rebuilt multiple times in the past following a series of different accidents.
The city denied any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. It told Law&Crime on Tuesday it does not comment on litigation.
“Plaintiff Joseph Mokwa believes that the settlement and distribution set forth above is fair and equitable considering the factual and legal issues surrounding this matter,” his motion said Monday.
After her death, Torrisi-Mokwa was described as a prominent business leader with ties all around St. Louis. She reportedly founded the Humane Society of Missouri’s Women’s Leadership Council and was known for raising money for animals in need.
“You just wonder why,” Kathy Warnick, president of the society, told local NBC affiliate KSDK in 2018.
“Why was someone who was so good, so kind, so terrific and so helpful to literally thousands, why was she taken too soon from this earth?” Warnick said. “And that’s a question all of us our wondering about.”
Mokwa sued the driver of the other vehicle after the crash, in addition to the city, along with his insurance company. He settled the insurance suit but his claims are still pending against Love.
