A pedestrian was struck and killed on Manchester Road in Ballwin early Tuesday, Oct. 13, the second fatal pedestrian crash on the corridor since 2025.
The crash happened at about 6:40 a.m. on the 15000 block of Manchester Road, according to the Ballwin Police Department. Missouri State Highway Patrol told First Alert 4 that paramedics transported the pedestrian to a hospital, where Ballwin police confirmed the person died.
The department has not released the victim's name, the driver's identity or a description of the vehicle involved.
No details about the circumstances of the crash have been made public.
All westbound lanes of Manchester Road were closed between New Ballwin Road and Hillsdale Drive after the crash, FOX 2 reported. Ballwin police said all lanes have since reopened.
In a statement, the Ballwin Police Department said it would provide further updates as the investigation continues and asked drivers to use caution in the area.
A corridor flagged for danger
Tuesday’s fatal crash occurred near Vlasis Drive, outside a nearby stretch of Manchester Road examined in a recent MoDOT safety audit, FOX 2 reported. That audit covered the segment between New Ballwin and Holloway roads, east of Tuesday’s crash site, and documented 658 crashes from 2015 through 2024.
Pedestrian crashes were less frequent than rear-end and turning collisions but among the most severe. The audit documented one fatal pedestrian crash and two disabling-injury pedestrian crashes during the study period. An additional pedestrian fatality occurred in 2025, outside the audit's window.
The stretch between Coral Terrace Drive and Steamboat Lane had the highest pedestrian crash rate. The only designated pedestrian crossing between New Ballwin Road and Holloway Road sits near Old Ballwin Road and Steamboat Lane, between two car dealerships. It has been in place since about 2000.
Upgrades planned, but years away
MoDOT had already made some immediate fixes at the crosswalk as of May, including extending the flashing duration on the rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB), refreshing pavement striping and crosswalk markings. Additional warning flashers and new signage were expected shortly after.
Larger upgrades, including replacing the existing flashing yellow beacon with a pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB), are tied to a resurfacing project scheduled for fiscal year 2029, MoDOT Area Engineer Ryan Pearcy said in May.
"People treat Manchester Road like a highway," Ballwin Alderman Tequila Gray said in May, when the safety audit results were first reported. "You have this stretch of street with all these retail shops, all of these cars turning in and out of these lots. We can't have it treated as a highway because that's how more accidents happen."
Gray, who represents Ward 2, said she spent months contacting MoDOT representatives to push for safety improvements, beginning in June 2025. She described calling, leaving weekly voicemails and sending emails every other week.
MoDOT was also planning a speed study to determine whether the speed limit on the stretch should be reduced to 35 mph. Any change would require a formal study and approval from MoDOT's central office.
What's not yet known
Ballwin police have not said whether the pedestrian was in a crosswalk, which direction the vehicle was traveling or whether the driver remained at the scene.
