A 16-year-old girl has died from injuries suffered when her car collided with a West Des Moines fire truck last Monday night.
A website which has been keeping friends and families up to date on the condition of Erika Schwager said on Sunday that she had died early Sunday morning. The website said, "Erika's earthly life ended peacefully Sunday, November 26th, 2006 at 12:23 AM. We imagine her dancing, joking and laughing; joyful in her new home."
Schwager was leaving a shopping trip at Valley West Mall Monday evening when the car she was driving collided with a West Des Moines fire truck in the intersection of Valley West Drive and Westown Parkway. The truck was responding to a fire call at the mall.
Urbandale police have agreed to assist West Des Moines in the investigation, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. West Des Moines authorities have said they hope to have some preliminary information on a possible cause of the accident by this coming week. Two other vehicles were hit in the accident but the occupants suffered only minor injuries.
