KIRKWOOD, Mo. — Kirkwood police are investigating a deadly car crash that happened Sunday afternoon.
Multiple neighbors told 5 On Your Side the victim was a young woman.
Crews took over Dougherty Ferry Road on Monday morning while they repaired what happened less than 24 hours ago.
Rick Schaumberger lives right down the street from where the crash happened.
"We heard a loud crash, came out and saw a car down there and it was just totally demolished," he said.
Police were called to Dougherty Ferry Road, near Geyer, just before 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
That's when they found a crashed car with the driver dead inside.
Schaumberger said he's been thinking about the victim's family since it happened.
"It's very sad. The loss of life is just terrible," he said.
According to Schaumberger, police told him the driver must have been going 60-70 mph when she hit the pole because of the damage it left.
"It actually cracked the pole and there were about 16-inches in diameter and moved the pole about 3-feet. You have to remember; the pole is about 8-feet in the ground," he said.
The crash happened right in front of one of the neighbors' homes. 5 On Your Side spoke to the neighbors and they said they were in the kitchen when it happened, and they could feel the crash immediately.
Michael Carmody, with Safer Streets for Kirkwood and St. Louis County, said the street is a troubled spot.
"Speeding is a long-time issue. They're getting constant complaints about speeding," he said.
According to Carmody, the large width of the road makes drivers go faster.
"For every foot over 10 feet, the studies show that a car will go at least 3 miles an hour faster. If you have a lane here that's 14-feet, they're going to be doing 12 miles an hour faster than they should be just because of the comfort level. There's so much room. It's the width of a highway lane," he said.
With the heavy pedestrian traffic along the street, the high speeds make neighbors like Schaumberger nervous.
"It's out of control. We have plenty of laws on the books, nothing is enforced." he said.
That's why Carmody and his group say they are working tirelessly and pushing for more safety enhancements on the road to prevent tragedies similar to the incident from continuing.
"We're just trying to keep it and keep it so that we can get things in a safer venue for all of our community. The idea is to save lives, cut down on injuries," he said.
This isn't the only intersection Carmody, and his group is concerned about.
The group has a petition out calling on leaders to enhance safety on Big Bend and Geyer Road.
Kirkwood police told 5 On Your Side they are not releasing any other information about the crash. However, they did say the incident was a single-vehicle accident and the driver died at the scene.