PITTSBURGH -- Looking for answers, a young Pittsburgh mother's family has hired a lawyer to look into
the freak accident that killed her Friday at a Port Authority bus stop in East Liberty.
Witnesses said Marquetta Grate, 25, of Homewood, had just dropped her 3-year-old daughter off at a Head Start program and walked across Frankstown Avenue when a furniture delivery truck rounded the bend and hit an 800-pound metal pole, which fell onto Grate.
"Marquetta was a daughter, a sister and loved by many. This tragedy has left a hole in our heart," cousin Genara Burnett said Monday. "How do we tell a 3-year-old daughter her mommy's gone?"
Slideshow: Photos From The Crash SceneNorma Jean Sellers, Grate's aunt and nephew, left a bouquet of flowers at the scene.
"I looked at her as an angel, and so did a lot of other people," Sellers said. "She was quiet, soft mannered, you know? Just sweet."
The family has established a memorial fund, to which contributions can be made at any National City Bank branch.
Marquetta Grate's Family Plans Funeral, Seeks Answers
As Grate's family visited the Coston Funeral Home on Lincoln Avenue to make arrangements, they held a news conference and said they've retained legal counsel.
"We're interested in the placement of that telephone pole that came down," said attorney Michael Rosenzweig, although it was actually a light pole. "We understand a bus shelter had been there and was moved. We understand it's a very dangerous area."
Pittsburgh police are still investigating. No charges have been filed against the truck driver.
"If that means to file a lawsuit, we'll file a lawsuit," Rosenzweig said. "If it means (we'll have) to get subpoenas and take testimony to find out exactly what happened, we'll do that. So, whatever needs to be done, we'll do it."
Department of Public Works director Guy Costa has said that even if the bus shelter had still been in place, it wouldn't have helped.
"After being at the scene (Friday) morning, the shelter wouldn't have made a difference because the pole would have shattered the glass or plexiglass," Costa said.
Costa also said that the shelter was removed by Lamar Advertising because of repeated vandalism.
Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. Her funeral is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. at Mount Ararat Baptist Church, near the scene of Grate's death.
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