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Former Holy Cross women’s rowing coach cited in fatal crash that killed 20-year-old student

VERO BEACH, Fla. — A former Holy Cross women’s rowing coach who had been driving a van full of students in a crash that killed a young student-athlete has been cited for her death.

Patrick Diggins had been driving the van when it was hit by a pickup truck in Vero Beach, Florida, on Jan. 15. According to a crash report from Vero Beach Police, Diggins was found at-fault for the crash after he violated the pickup truck’s right of way while trying to make a left-hand turn on Indian River Boulevard heading east over the Barber Bridge.

Authorities say Diggins had the green light but not a green turn arrow. The van drove right into the path of the oncoming pickup truck, causing it to slam into the van.

After the crash, 20-year-old Grace Rett, who had been sitting on the passenger seat, became trapped inside the van. First responders say she was unresponsive, but still breathing.

Several other student-athletes had been injured in the crash and asked emergency crews for help, the report states. Also in the report is a statement from the driver of the pickup truck who says the van pulled out in front of him so quickly he didn’t have time to react.

Anne Comcowich, a sophomore from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, was also seriously injured in the crash was the last injured team member to be released from the hospital.

Rett was later pronounced dead as a result from the injuries sustained in the crash. Police have determined the cause of the crash was the van’s violation of the truck’s right of way.

A preliminary police report showed Diggins had failed to yield to the truck while making a left turn. After the crash, police said Diggins made several spontaneous comments including, “Please let me have had a green light. Did I have a green arrow? God, please let me have had a green arrow.”

Diggins was one of eight people, six other students and both drivers, seriously injured in the crash. In light of the crash, Diggins retired after 34 years at the Worcester college, the school announced on Feb. 21.