DOWNTOWN, ST. LOUIS, MO. (KTVI) – The family of a 23-year-old woman is devastated after learning from police she died in a hit-and-run crash in downtown St. Louis.
Kristal Brewer, the best friend of the victim’s mother, says Amber Wood, 23, died around 2:00 am Friday. Brewer explains Amber was the last person in a line of three people crossing Broadway just north of Gratiot downtown. That is just south of Busch Stadium.
Brewer says a woman in the front of the line saw a train going over the tracks above Broadway. She only knew something was wrong when she turned around and saw her male friend on the ground. Brewer says that friend looked for Amber, and saw her several feet south on Broadway.
Brewer says police called the family to the scene to identify Amber. She died in the street.
St. Louis City Police say the car never stopped.
Broadway was closed for 5 1/2 hours while police collected bits of metal and glass.
Officers say they only know the car involved was a silver or gray Pontiac with two unidentified black males inside.
Police say they have possibly found the car involved in a deadly hit and run accident. They haven’t said if they’ve located the driver.
The male victim was taken to Barnes Jewish Hospital in fair condition.
Brewer says Wood was lively, vivacious, and fun. She worked at EdgeWild Restaurant and Winery in nearby Kirkwood, Missouri. Brewer says Amber’s family was very proud of her.
Close To One Of Us
Our own Monica Adams gave live traffic reports on the hit-and-run death of her dear friend for more than four hours Friday morning.
“So, I got a phone call at 3 o’clock this morning,” Adams remembered. “The worst thing you could possibly hear, a mother screaming and crying that the most unreal thing had happened.”
Adams anchored traffic for Fox 2 News In The Morning even after learning her friend, 23-year-old Amber Wood, was hit by a car and killed while the driver took off. So Monica, while tempted to stay home, came to work.
“Yes, that is a very dear friend of mine that was killed overnight,” Monica fought back tears while on-air. “Thanks very much for the prayers.”
“I couldn’t do that,” she said, still tearing up. “I couldn’t do the story and keep going on and for people to be emailing and knowing that I know her, because we’re not heartless.”
Wood’s mom is dating Monica’s brother.
“But, it wasn’t like a daughter or a young little niece. It was just this bond as a friend,” Monica finally smiled. “It was that person that you trust, and be like, ‘That’s who I want in my home when I go on vacation. She’s gonna watch my dogs.'”
Monica urged anyone who knows about this young woman’s early death to speak up now.
“You have to. Whether it’s inside of you to click that you need to go to the police or someone that knows has got to tell that person, ‘You’ve gotta come forward,`” she said. “I know that you’ve done something tragic. Whatever was going through your mind at that point that you just struck someone, you didn’t even know if you’ve killed them. But, you hit someone.”
On Facebook, Monica’s friends wondered how she got through this tragic morning, live, on-air in front of millions, “Amber. Amber was guiding me this morning. Truly. You know, we have an angel up there now.”
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