Elizabeth OttomeyerSept. 25, 1966 - June 10, 2003 "She moves turtles off the road," said Janet Ottomeyer. "She's picked up snakes and moved them to safe places. There isn't anyone or anything she wouldn't help." |
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Elizabeth Ottomeyer Elizabeth Ann "Lisa" Ottomeyer, 36, of Sappington, Mo., died Tuesday, June 10, 2003, in St. Louis. She was killed by a hit-and-run driver when she pulled over to assist accident victims on a rain-slickened interstate. She was born Sept. 25, 1966, in Kirkwood, Mo., daughter of Dale G. and Janet M. Johns Ottomeyer. Ottomeyer was a nurse with Life Care Center of St. Louis and worked with geriatric patients many years. She was a volunteer with the Girl Scout program. Survivors include a daughter, Victoria Ottomeyer; a son, Christopher Rousan; her parents of House Springs, Mo.; a brother, David Ottomeyer of House Springs; a sister, Sandra Ottomeyer of House Springs; maternal grandparents, Olin and Geneva Johns of Cape Girardeau; and fiance, Michael Rousan. She was preceded in death by paternal grandparents. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. today at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in High Ridge, Mo. The Rev. Eugene Sinz will officiate. Burial will be in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. Chapel Hill Mortuary at High Ridge is in charge of arrangements.
Woman is killed while trying to help at I-44 crash Car hits nurse crossing highway "A good Samaritan" Two cars on Interstate 44 collided in the pouring rain Tuesday morning. A nurse who saw it, Elizabeth A. Ottomeyer, pulled her minivan to the shoulder to see if anyone needed help. "Stay in the car," her daughter, Victoria, recalled her mother saying. With that Ottomeyer left Victoria and her stepsister, Shana Roussan, both 12, in the back seat and dashed across the highway. "She said, 'I'll be right back.'" Victoria said. But Ottomeyer didn't return. St. Louis police say she was hit by a car and killed as she dashed across the interstate just east of Vandeventer Avenue. The driver kept going. The girls didn't see the impact. The motorists in the collision didn't see what happened, either. And though police say the interstate was probably thick with morning commuters, none had come forward with information by evening. Frustrated city police detectives issued pleas for witnesses. If the driver is ever found, he or she could face charges as severe as involuntary manslaughter, said St. Louis Police Lt. Michael Siemers. Siemers said Ottomeyer deserved better. "She's obviously a good Samaritan who had a desire to help people," he said. One person was injured in the crash and taken to a hospital where, police said, the victim was in serious condition. Traffic was backed up for several hours on eastbound I-44. Ottomeyer had been on her way to Life Care Center of St. Louis near St. Louis University, where she had worked for nine months as a licensed practical nurse. The girls were along to volunteer. The girls in the minivan waited for Ottomeyer to return. Finally, a man came to the car with a cellular phone and asked if their mother was a blonde. The girls said yes. The man said he had called police and that they were on the way. They didn't know what he was talking about. "They took us downtown to the police station and that's where they told us that she was dead," Victoria said. "Me and my sister started crying." Janet Ottomeyer said she was not surprised to hear that her daughter died trying to help someone. "She moves turtles off the road," said Janet Ottomeyer. "She's picked up snakes and moved them to safe places. There isn't anyone or anything she wouldn't help." Elizabeth Ottomeyer, 36, was raised in House Springs but moved to south St. Louis County to a house she shares with her partner, Mike Rousan. Together the couple have a son, Christopher, who will turn 3 on Sunday. In addition to her mother, she is survived by her father, Dale Ottomeyer of House Springs; a sister, Sandra Ottomeyer, 33; and a brother, David Ottomeyer, 28. Dale Ottomeyer suffered a heart attack nine years ago and was recently fitted for a pacemaker. He suffered chest pains Tuesday after he was told of his daughter's death and was being evaluated at St. Louis University Hospital, Janet Ottomeyer said. She said her daughter decided about seven years ago to become a licensed practical nurse and was certified through St. Louis Public Schools. Victoria said she enjoyed working alongside her mother. "I help feed the people and help pass out ice to the residents. This was my fifth time and my stepsister's first time," she said. "My mother loves being a nurse." Co-workers at Life Care Center said Ottomeyer was personable, outgoing and always willing to help someone. Stopping to help others "sounds just like something she would do," said Alice Gill, a nurse at the facility. "She was a very giving person. She'd help anybody." Annie Pettis, a nursing assistant at Life Care Center, said Ottomeyer's life was centered around her children. "She loved being a nurse, but she really loved being a mother," Pettis said. "That's all she ever talked about: her kids." St. Louis police are asking anyone with information to call 314-444-2540 or 314-444-5345. Greg Jonsson of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Doctor Admits Leaving Scene Of Fatal Accident; Keeps Medical License updated: 8/17/2004 12:23:20 PM (KSDK) -- A Des Peres pathologist pleads guilty to leaving the scene of an accident that killed a nurse. Elizabeth Ottomeyer was killed in June of 2003 while trying to cross Interstate 44. On Monday Dr. Luis Tumialan admitted that he knew he hit Ottomeyer. In June of 2003, Ottomeyer was running across Interstate 44 to help several accident victims. That's when she was hit. Dr. Tumialan was given two years probation. He must also attend a defensive driving class. He will not lose his medical license.
A letter from a mother to the man who killed her daughter September 27. 2004 Two days ago, I visited my daughter's grave and thought deeply of what has been on my mind for many months. I know you will understand that there are times when the spirit of your child seems to speak directly to you, and I feel so strongly that she wants me to tell you of what is in my heart. I have come to accept what I sensed in my heart from the beginning - that random events can come together to create an instant of destruction. To find fault and to look for logic is human, but ultimately without purpose. It is time for me to tell you that I can have some understanding of how and why you reacted the way you did (even though I cannot know for sure of your exact thoughts, of course). I believe that some events are so unbelievable to us that our normal thought processes simply cannot absorb them. I also believe that the instant of Elizabeth's death and it's immediate aftermath was impossible for you to reconcile with your moral concepts and belief systems. I believe that with your knowledge of how the death of your son has altered you forever, it was even more painful to know that, under any circumstances, you became an instrument of giving that same pain to another family. When I sat across the table from you at the deposition, I tried to listen to every nuance of every word and of your body language. I will never stop grieving for the death of my daughter and the loss her children have suffered, but until my heart and mind could come to an understanding of your heart and mind, I knew I could never find any peace. After the deposition, I thought over everything I know, and put it together with what I have heard from others who know you. I do not believe you could have prevented the death of Elizabeth, any more than she could have stopped herself from crossing that highway to help someone. I believe you have suffered greatly as a consequence. I believe that day haunts you as it does us. The thought I wish to leave with you is that pain is enough for all of us to suffer; guilt, blame, anger and all the "what ifs" need to be put behind us. I know my daughter's heart, and she would want me to forget my anger and she would want you to put aside the guilt you might feel. She would want all of us be at peace. I would ask one thing of you, and I ask it for my granddaughter. Someday in the future, I hope you can write to her of your thoughts. I think there will come a time when that would be of great help to her. It may not be something that you would do, and I imply no responsibility for you to do so. With all sincerity, I wish peace for you and your family.
Janet Ottomeyer
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