Police Chase Ends in Fiery Accident That Killed 2 Passengers
On behalf of Brown & Crouppen, P.C. posted in Motor Vehicle Accident on Thursday, June 9, 2011
St. Louis police are uncertain why a driver led officers on a short high-speed chase that led to the vehicle crashing into a tree and igniting on May 31. The single-vehicle car accident killed the two passengers in the car, including a pregnant woman, and seriously injured the driver, who was resisting attempts by a police officer to pull him over.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, officers tried to pull over the Buick Regal around 11:20 a.m. for an undisclosed alleged traffic violation. However, the Buick sped off and the squad car gave chase, but gave up after a short distance due to a department policy against high-speed car chases.
Witnesses saw the Buick continue to speed away from the scene of the attempted police stop. The driver headed south on Goodfellow Boulevard and allegedly ran a stoplight at the intersection with Natural Bridge Avenue. The car hit a bump in the road and lifted into the air, clearing the curb and crashing into a tree 25 yards away. The vehicle quickly caught fire, a witness said.
Despite efforts by witnesses and emergency personnel, neither passenger survived the accident. A pregnant 19-year-old woman from Jennings died at the scene. The other passenger, a 31-year-old Spanish Lake man, was rescued from the burning car and taken to a nearby hospital, but doctors were unable to save him and he was later pronounced dead.
The driver was also rescued. He was taken to the hospital, where he was listed in serious condition as of June 1. A gun was later found in the vehicle, but it was not reported stolen, so police are not sure what caused the driver to evade the stop.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Man, pregnant woman killed in St. Louis car crash,” Marlon A. Walker, June 1, 2011