Channel 7 Reporter, Anchor Lisa Colagrossi Dies of Brain Hemorrhage

Written by Barbara Heins (Patch Staff)

Award-winning WABC/Channel 7 reporter Lisa Colagrossi died Friday after suffering a brain hemorrhage as she returned from covering a story, the station announced Saturday.

The 49-year-old Colagrossi collapsed Thursday morning as she and her crew were returning from covering a Queens, NY house fire, and was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center’s neurological ICU, according to The Daily News. She never regained consciousness.

In a statement Saturday, WABC said,

“We have some sad news to share with you about our Eyewitness News family. Lisa Colagrossi, Eyewitness News reporter, anchor, wife and mother, has died at age 49.

Lisa suffered a brain hemorrhage while returning from covering a story Thursday morning.

Thursday seemed like just another morning, with Lisa Colagrossi doing what she did so well, reporting live from the scene. She was an amazing reporter, committed to Eyewitness News. She was dedicated to telling a story with honesty, a working woman, a hockey mom, she was gutsy and fearless.

We here at Eyewitness News are still in shock and we’re trying to cope with the loss of someone we loved and valued.”

Colagrossi joined WABC-TV the Sunday after the World Trade Center disaster. Since coming to New York, Colagrossi has covered several major stories such as the crash of flight 587 in the Rockaways, and worked on Eyewitness News This Morning and on the noon news broadcasts, according to her WABC biography. The Cleveland, OH native came to New York from Orlando, FL where she won two regional Emmys for her broadcast work.

Colagrossi lived in Stamford CT with her husband Todd Crawford and their two sons Davis and Evan, according to US Magazine. It was at home where she raised chickens and harvested their organic eggs, her colleagues said in a tribute to her. On her Facebook page, Colagrossi posted a photo of brown and white eggs and wrote on March 15, “After the bitter winter weather, I am happy to report our egg production is back. The girls don’t like to go outside much still because of all the snow on the ground, but they are happily laying more of these beautiful and yummy eggs.”

The tribute to her from her WABC colleagues can be viewed below.