ST. LOUIS — The family of a woman who drowned has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in St. Louis County Circuit Court, alleging that a series of negligent acts and omissions by multiple entities involved in a bridge construction project directly led to her death in November 2024.
The plaintiffs — David Parisotto, Peter Parisotto and Jane Woods — filed the suit on April 11, 2025, against six defendants: Gershenson Construction Co. Inc., St. Louis County, HR Green Inc., Tramar Contracting Inc. and Lochmueller Group Inc.
They claim the defendants were responsible for the dangerous conditions surrounding Bayless Avenue Bridge No. 419, which resulted in the fatal incident, according to a complaint filed in St. Louis Circuit Court on April 11.
According to the filing, the bridge, located on Bayless Avenue and spanning Gravois Creek, was under construction at the time of Nancy Parisotto’s death.
The bridge had previously supported four lanes of traffic, but by Nov. 5, 2024, the eastbound lanes had been demolished. Traffic was rerouted to use the remaining westbound lanes, with one lane open in each direction.
The lawsuit states that Nancy Parisotto was traveling eastbound on Bayless Avenue in the early morning hours, around 5:45 a.m., when she encountered rising floodwaters near the bridge and it was still dark outside.
The plaintiffs allege that, although the bridge was technically still passable, all of the defendants failed to install adequate barriers or traffic control devices to prevent drivers from mistakenly entering the demolished section.
As Nancy Parisotto approached the bridge, she was unable to perceive the proper path due to poor visibility and insufficient guidance. She inadvertently drove into the area where the eastbound lanes had been removed, descended the open embankment, and plunged into Gravois Creek. She drowned inside her vehicle, the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs argue that all defendants — acting individually and through various partnerships — bore responsibility for ensuring the safety of the construction site.
The county had jurisdiction over the bridge and hired HR Green Inc. to design the plans and traffic controls for the replacement project. HR Green’s responsibilities included developing safe construction staging details and traffic guidance in compliance with local and state standards.
Gershenson Construction Co. Inc. was hired as the general contractor and was contractually obligated to provide adequate artificial lighting and follow the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) standards.
Gershenson, in turn, subcontracted Tramar Contracting Inc. to supply traffic control devices, signs, and barricades, and Lochmueller Group Inc. to handle traffic signal maintenance and programming.
The lawsuit states that each subcontractor agreed to provide and manage their own traffic control measures and to reposition any barricades in line with safety standards, especially at the end of each workday or as needed.
The plaintiffs claim that despite these contractual obligations, no adequate warning or guidance was present on the morning of Parisotto’s death.
The family alleges that the defendants were aware — or should have been aware — of the rising floodwaters and the altered traffic pattern and still failed to act to protect public safety. They contend that, had the proper safety measures been in place, Nancy Parisotto would have been able to discern the correct path across the bridge and her death could have been avoided.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages in excess of $25,000 under Missouri’s wrongful death statute. They claim they have incurred substantial medical and funeral expenses and have suffered the permanent loss of the love, companionship, and support of their sister, Nancy Parisotto, who had no children or spouse and was predeceased by her parents.
The plaintiffs are represented by Patrick R. McPhail, John G. Simon and Kevin M. Carnie Jr. of the Simon Law Firm in St. Louis.
St. Louis Circuit Court case number: 25SL-CC-03988