‘She’s going to be missed’: Daughter mourning mom hit, killed by U-Haul in Tempe

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- The family of Diana Piastowski says she was hit and killed by a U-Haul truck last week in Tempe. Police responded to reports of a crash involving a pedestrian near McClintock Drive and Curry Road Friday night around 6 p.m. A 60-year-old woman, identified as Piastowski, was found in the area but died at the scene. Investigators learned that the U-Haul truck was headed north on McClintock Drive when it turned onto a private drive. As the truck was turning just before Curry Road, it hit Piastowski.

Diana’s daughter Dani says police told her that her mom was riding her bike on the sidewalk when she was hit. Dani says her mom biked everywhere and was close to home when the truck hit her. Dani speaks with her mother once or twice a day but didn’t find out about the collision for nearly 24 hours. “I was really shocked considering she’s had hip surgeries, she had COVID,” Dani said. “Nothing kept her down. She was always a fighter.”

Dani said her mom was her best friend. She is struggling to mourn while trying to plan for her services. “She was super caring, super giving. I know that accidents happen, but this leaves me without my mom and it’s not right,” she said.

Dani says she is now responsible for the next steps of honoring her mother’s life. She wants others to remember her for the person she was. “I just want people to know she was loved, she was loved dearly. She was a mother, grandmother and she’s going to be missed,” she said.

Tempe Police say the driver stayed and spoke with police, and it’s been determined that impairment is not a factor. We asked investigators for an update to see if anyone would be charged. However, they had no information to share at this time.

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