Woman who died on I

Jun 07, 2023

Next up in 5

Example video title will go here for this video

ST. LOUIS — A piece of metal that secures a mud flap to a vehicle went through the windshield of a Belleville woman's car last year killing her, St. Louis police said Friday.

The new details were released almost four months after the accident happened on westbound Interstate 64 near Grand Boulevard.

Kathleen Bailey, 81, crashed her car into a concrete pillar when the mud flap bracket went through her windshield.

"It was determined that (the mud flap bracket) was not being used for that purpose at the time of the accident. Additionally, based on several tests conducted, it was revealed the metal object did not come off of a vehicle/truck, hit the roadway and then bounce onto the vehicle's windshield," St. Louis police spokeswoman Evita Caldwell said.

Bailey was taken by ambulance to a St. Louis hospital, where she later died.

On the day the accident happened, police said a boulder crashed through Bailey's windshield and caused her to crash. They revised that report the next day.

"The belief is that the metal object had to have fallen off something higher than the victim's vehicle. It's also possible the object was being transported as scrap; however, that was not able to be confirmed," police said.

Peter Kurdock, general counsel for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, described Bailey's crash as rare.

"We've heard of these types of incidents happening in the past, but they're not as frequent as other causes of crashes," Kurdock said.

To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.

5 On Your Side news app

iPhone | Google Play