ST. LOUIS COUNTY – Nancy Parisotto was a loving sister, aunt and volunteer who touched the lives of many. Now, her family is hoping a lawsuit filed on her behalf will do what she would have wanted through her own needless death – protect others.
Simon Law filed a wrongful death lawsuit against St. Louis County and several contractors who were performing construction work on the Gravois Creek bridge in November 2024. On Nov. 5, 2025, flash flood waters flowed through the site, which lacked proper signage and barriers to keep Nancy and other drivers safe.
Nancy drove into the flooded section of the site and drowned. She was 63.
“St. Louis County and the contractors responsible for this project had a duty to keep it properly marked and guarded at all times and in all conditions to keep the public safe,” said Simon Law Attorney Kevin Carnie Jr. “We look forward to holding all who failed our client in this case accountable for this preventable tragedy.”
Before the project, the bridge was a four-lane road with two lanes in each direction. On the night Nancy drowned, the bridge was down to two lanes, as the eastbound lanes of the bridge had been demolished.
At the bridge, traffic proceeded only on the former westbound lanes, with one lane of travel going each direction. At 5:45 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2024, Nancy was driving eastbound on Bayless Avenue towards the bridge and could not discern the correct path to take. Floodwaters had begun to rise around the bridge, but the bridge was still traversable.
“Due to defendants’ inadequate traffic control and inadequate barriers, eastbound traffic approaching the bridge could not see that the eastbound lanes had been demolished and that traffic would proceed only in the former westbound lanes,” according to the lawsuit. “If defendants had followed the MUTCD and St. Louis County standards, complied with their contracts and acceptable industry practice, and/or used adequate barriers and other traffic control devices, eastbound drivers would have been able to perceive the appropriate path to cross the bridge.”
Nancy drove into the area where the previous eastbound lanes had been, going down the open embankment and into the creek. She was unable to escape from her vehicle and drowned.
The following is a statement attributable to Nancy’s family:
“Nancy was our beloved sister as well as a Sunday school teacher and minister at local nursing homes. Her loss has left a gaping hole in the hearts of so many she touched. We hope this lawsuit will ensure this never happens to anyone again. Protecting others is what Nancy would have wanted to come of this needless tragedy.”
In addition to St. Louis County, Simon Law has named the following contractors as defendants in this lawsuit: Gershenson Construction Co., HR Green, Inc., Tramar Contracting Inc., Lochmueller Group Inc. and Freedom Fence.
Simon Law is a personal injury and business litigation firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. Since its founding in 2001, the firm has secured billions for clients in verdicts and settlements and has been named one of the “winningest firms” in the U.S. by The National Law Journal. The firm secured three nine-figure verdicts in a recent 12-months span.
Media Contact:
Christine Byers
Simon Law Director of Marketing & Communications
cbyers@simonlawpc.com
