ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Lindbergh High School student died after a car crashed into a pole Saturday morning in Sappington.
St. Louis County police officers from the Affton Southwest precinct received a call at 1:20 a.m. about a single-car crash involving a Lexus sedan.
Police said the vehicle was speeding eastbound on Gravois Road when it left the roadway, striking a utility pole. They said Quintyn Lewis,17, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“You can see the skid marks and the investigation report, and it kind of lines up with what my son was saying they had a blowout,” said Ben Franke, a parent of one of the crash victims. “If you go back down by the antique store, you can see the first tire track that, I guess, it’s mechanically impossible to just skid one tire. So, you can see where the double tire tracks when they hit the brakes and hit the curb and flew around and hit the pole.”
There were six passengers inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, including the driver. A second passenger had life-threatening injuries, and a third passenger had minor injuries.
Franke said no one is at fault for what happened Saturday morning.
“It was a blowout that started this accident,” Franke said. “Maybe they were going a little too fast, but it’s not his fault. It’s not Luke’s fault. It’s not the fault of any of the kids in the car, either. They’ve all experienced a tragedy, and no one should be blaming anyone in that car.”
St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives and the Accident Reconstruction Unit are investigating the crash near the intersection of Gravois Road and Cinnabar Drive.
Lindbergh Schools released a statement on Monday about the tragedy, saying the following:
“Our Lindbergh Schools community is shocked and saddened by the tragic automobile accident this weekend that resulted in the death of a member of the Lindbergh High School student body. We extend our sincere thoughts and sympathies to this student’s family, teachers, and friends, and our hearts go out to the families of the other students who were injured as well.”
The district said it’s also providing counseling for those devastated by the tragic accident.