Two sisters sue city, APD officer after mother's fatal crash

AUSTIN (KXAN) --- Two sisters are suing the City of Austin and an Austin Police officer after a crash killed their mom.

Maria Casillas Reyes, 43, died at the scene of the crash on June 30 in the 13000 block of N. U.S. Highway 183 northbound after a collision with an on-duty APD officer, Alyssa Preuss, who was driving a marked patrol car.

Preuss was injured in the crash and was taken to the hospital for treatment but has since been released, according to APD.

Reyes' daughters, Ana and Breana Casillas, filed a vehicle collision and wrongful death lawsuit and are seeking $1 million in damages.

'Never going to be the same'

For many, the holidays are a time for loved ones to come together.

But for the Casillas family, the person they love the most won't be there this year.

"New Year's, Christmas-- anything coming forward is never going to be the same," Breana said.

A police officer said Preuss was responding to a call and failed to see her mother, the sisters said.

But their attorney, Angela Tabares, said the crash report showed no indication that Preuss was responding to a call.

Tabares said they aren't getting clear responses from officials about what happened.

"We were just told they're still investigating it," Tabares said. "We were left with no choice but to file a lawsuit to get subpoena power with the court to get discovery to figure out what exactly happened."

At the time of the crash, APD's Internal Affairs Unit was investigating whether there were any policy violations.

APD told KXAN that investigation is still ongoing.

It said the Special Investigations Unit carried out an investigation, as well and concluded there were no criminal findings. The officer involved in the crash is still on administrative duty, according to APD.

The city said it hasn't received the lawsuit yet.

The Casillas sisters said they just want answers to understand how this happened to their mother.

They described her as caring and compassionate to all.

"She was very joyful. She was really friendly. She was a really outgoing person," they said. "Very humble as well. She's very hard working. She always took care of us."