KIRKWOOD, Mo. – Two people were killed Tuesday night after their car traveled off an exit ramp, struck a fence and plunged into a pond in Kirkwood.
Emergency crews responded to the scene near the exit ramp from westbound Interstate 44 around 10 p.m.
Crews pulled two people from the vehicle before the dive team could get into the water. First responders from Kirkwood, Crestwood, Fenton and Des Peres and a dive team from Metro West Fire all were on the scene.
James A. Delia, 61, of Ballwin and Marjorie Hunt, 70, of Eureka, Missouri, were both transported to a hospital in critical condition. Both were pronounced dead early Wednesday morning.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol believes Delia suffered a medical emergency, which caused the vehicle to go off the road.
Hunt’s son, Todd, told 5 On Your Side at the scene, Delia and Hunt were good friends. Hunt volunteered with older adults, but didn’t like to drive late at night so Delia drove her. Delia was dropping Hunt off when the accident occurred.
Hunt and Delia also spent a lot of time together in the water – kayaking, boating and fishing were among their favorite activities.
One firefighter suffered hypothermia and a police officer received minor injuries during the rescue.
"We practice for every type of emergency, and we try to say, what is an emergency to you is not an emergency to us, and obviously it's going to be nerve-wracking," said Kirkwood Fire Chief, Jim Silvernail.
