PAGEDALE, Mo. — Lots of shattered glass and several pieces of plastic from cars are along the stretch of Page near Ferguson Avenue in Pagedale.
Police said it's the aftermath of a terrible car crash that killed an innocent woman Wednesday morning.
"A young man was coming down Page at a high rate of speed. I don't know how fast he was going," said Pagedale Police Chief Eddie Simmons.
The driver of the Dodge Challenger, a 27-year-old St. Louis man, first hit a gray Ford Fusion, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's crash report. Investigators said the man overcorrected and then hit a Hyundai Sonata head-on.
The driver of the Sonata was ejected and died instantly. She was later identified as 50-year-old Mary Politte. Police said her two male passengers suffered serious injuries.
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The police chief said the driver hit the first car so hard that he ripped off the entire rear wheel assembly on the vehicle. Moments later, police say when the driver hit the second car, that woman's front bumper fell off.
Politte's relative didn't want to talk on camera, but she told 5 On Your Side she was a mother, lived in north St. Louis and had just received a COVID-19 vaccine before the car crash.
"She had on a little sticker saying she had just gotten her COVID shot you know? It was just a bad crash," Chief Eddie Simmons said.
Simmons says four years ago, his department tackled a speeding problem at the intersection by putting more officers in the area.
"Some people just like to drive fast," said Chief Simmons.
He said he's particularly seen an increasing number of drivers in Dodge Challengers intentionally speed down streets.
"For some reason, I've seen them run from me. I'm always seeing police chasing them. I've seen Highway Patrol chase them. I've seen city police chase them. We get behind them, they don't pull over," Chief Simmons said.
The chief said no one was chasing the driver at the time of this morning's deadly crash.
"We really don't know exactly why he sped down that street. I can tell you that these guys need to slow down and stop this man. Now, the guy he's in a lot of trouble. This lady lost her life," added Chief Simmons.