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Another pedestrian struck and hospitalized near Ted Drewes in south St. Louis

The latest incident happened Friday night as a woman and her husband were walking across the street.

ST. LOUIS — Safety concerns continue after another pedestrian was struck by a car outside of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard.

The latest incident happened Friday night as a woman and her husband were walking across the street. The woman was seriously hurt.

St. Louis Police received a call Friday that there was a motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian. That call came in at about 7:18 p.m. and police were on the scene a few minutes later.

"We saw a lot of commotion outside," Abdihakeem Abdullahi, an employee with Ted Drewes who was sitting inside when the crash happened, said. "I just heard a lot of noise and people looking at the bank area. It was scary."

Owner of Ted Drewes with his wife, Travis Dillon, was unsure if the woman was visiting on Friday to buy frozen custard or get a Christmas tree in the lot set up adjacent to the building every year. 

After the evening crash, the driver remained on scene and cooperated with the investigation. Considering there is no crosswalk across Chippewa Street where the pedestrian crossed to get to Ted Drewes, police said it's unclear whether the driver will face any charges.

The woman, who has yet to be identified, is now stable in a local hospital with a few broken bones.

"It's unfortunate that it happened," Abdullahi said. "I'm glad she's doing well. Hopefully she gets better."

On this particular portion of the busy Chippewa Street, it's not the first time a crash like this has happened.

Ted Drewes has been talking to the city for more than a year and a half about more safety precautions. Especially after the death of a 17-year-old CBC student in a similar location in July 2022, two months after a Washington University Librarian was killed in May 2022.

"It just started happening in the last few years," Dillion said. "Why, I'm not sure. It's always been Route 66 here. We've always had the traffic. I'm not sure what the answer is. We hope that something can be done to help."

Employees said putting in a crosswalk to get from one side of Chippewa Street to the other could be a crucial solution.

"Maybe even another stop light because people fly down here all the time," Abdullahi said. "It's actually concerning too because we have people that actually clean up the parking lot, like some of the younger kids, teenagers. I'm just worried. I feel like the city needs to do something about it."

When asked why it's taken so long to get more safety features installed, city officials said they have the funding through ward capital but needed to find the right contractors. 

Added pedestrian safety measures around Ted Drewes will be a two-phase process for the city. 

Phase 1 will start construction in June 2024 to put things like curb bump-outs and fencing on the road to better direct drivers. 

Phase 2 will break ground in fall 2024 or early winter 2024 which will focus on adding more pedestrian signs to draw attention to people walking on the road.

An immediate plan, the St. Louis mayor's office said, is to put in moving mobile surveillance units. They are cameras that can be set up anywhere throughout the city. St. Louis officials are putting the units by Ted Drewes over the next few days to monitor traffic more effectively.

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