ST. LOUIS (KTVI) - Multiple people were struck by a vehicle Sunday evening outside a frozen custard stand in St. Louis, leaving at least one person critically injured.
The incident comes after years of calls for safety measures around Ted Drewes, the beloved custard stand, with some believing the city has taken far too much time in addressing those concerns.
According to a social media post by the St. Louis Fire Department, six people were taken to area hospitals, one of whom was said to be in critical condition.
Mitch McCoy, spokesman for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, said the crash happened around 8 p.m. in the Ted Drewes parking lot. The driver, a 19-year-old man, initially fled and went home, but his family told him to return to the scene.
McCoy said the youngest victim is 12 while the oldest is in his 70s.
The investigation is still ongoing and more information will be disclosed to the public on Monday, McCoy said.
This is not the first tragedy to happen outside Ted Drewes.
In July 2022, Matthew Nikolai was struck and killed while crossing the street in front of Ted Drewes. A pickup truck hit the high school student, causing him to be thrown into the path of another car, which also struck him. Nikolai was 17.
The driver of the second vehicle stopped and remained at the scene to speak with first responders. The driver of the truck, later identified as Jacob Adler, initially stopped, got out of his pickup, and walked to the scene without identifying himself. Adler then drove off immediately afterward.
Adler was eventually arrested and, in June 2024, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and tampering with physical evidence. He was sentenced to five years in state prison.
In October 2024, someone drove their car into a fire hydrant across the street from Ted Drewes. A bollard was installed in front of the hydrant to protect it.
In an interview with Nexstar's KTVI, Rasmus Jorgensen, the deputy director of communications for the St. Louis Mayor's Office, said safety improvements would be scheduled between January and March 2025, during Ted Drewes' offseason.
During that October interview, Jorgensen mentioned various safety improvements planned around the area, including relocating a Ted Drewes parking lot entrance, improved lighting, and the construction of a new bump-out with bollards and fencing to corral and separate patrons from vehicular traffic out in front of Ted Drewes.