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Pine Creek High School remembers coach killed in crash

Posted at 6:07 PM, Aug 29, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-29 21:09:57-04

COLORADO SPRINGS- Students at Pine Creek High School have only been in class for a couple of weeks this school year, and already some of them are going through a tough time.

Peyton Riedel, the school’s Assistant Softball Coach died in a head-on crash off of Hwy 24 Tuesday morning around 1:30 in the morning.

According to Colorado State Patrol (CSP) Riedel was driving east on Highway 24 just west of Calhan when another driver crashed head on, ultimately leading to her death.

CSP reports another driver, 22 year-old Megan Mann from Colorado Springs fell asleep at the wheel and crashed Riedel head-on.

Mann was flown to Penrose Hospital with serious injuries.

24-year-old Victoria Stevenson was riding in Ridel’s car, she was taken to UCHealth Memorial Central Hospital with serious injuries.

State Patrol issued a summons to Mann to appear in court on charges related to the crash.

Riedel started working at the school at the start of the 2016 school year.

‘You could just tell she loved being around the game and the kids,’ said Jim Lucas, Pine Creek High School Assistant Principal.

Lucas’ daughter was on the softball team for 2 years with Coach Riedel before she graduated.

‘She was very vivacious that’d probably be the best term for her,’ said Lucas.

One memory of Riedel that sticks out for Lucas, is her love of the color purple.

‘That’s something that stuck out to me is when she got hired on she had purple hair,’ said Lucas.

The Asst. Principal adding how he thought she was brave for starting her career with the hair color.

For the school’s Athletic Director, Riedel was one of the first hires he made when he started at Pine Creek.

‘Great young spirit, positive,’ said Eric Hurlen, Pine Creek High School’s Athletic Director.

‘One thing I’m really proud of to be a part of in the Pine Creek community, is when things like this happen we come together,’ said Hurlen.

Hurlen remarked on Riedel’s passion to the kids and coaching softball.

Plans for any sort of memorial are still in the works, the school says they plan to do something on Friday- when the softball team will have both JV and Varsity games.

Riedel grew up in Fort Scott, Kansas and played softball for Newman University in Wichita, KS.