A 35-year-old Ferguson man remains in a medically induced coma with a torn aorta, severe brain trauma and multiple broken bones after a driver struck him and sped off earlier this month, leaving him lying in the middle of the road until a passerby stopped to help. Curtis Henderson has since developed pneumonia and is experiencing lung failure as his family waits for any word that police have identified the person responsible.
A Bystander Steps In
Henderson's family says he was struck as he left a BP gas station on West Florissant Road on September 15, according to FOX 2. The crash threw him into the roadway, where he was later found near a nearby credit union. Chardai O'Kane, who found Henderson lying in the middle of the road, told the station she noticed another vehicle nearly hit him before she stayed with him until police and emergency crews arrived, trying to keep him calm.
“He started crying. He could hear everything,” O'Kane said, describing the moments after the crash, per the station's report. Henderson's mother, Sherri Lawrence, said his legs were sticking into the roadway when another vehicle nearly ran him over — a detail that underscores how exposed he was before O'Kane intervened.
A Family Waiting, and Wondering Why
Doctors have warned Henderson's family that his recovery could be lengthy if he survives, the outlet reported. Lawrence said she hopes the people involved will turn themselves in, and she has asked publicly why they did not stop. Henderson's sister, Kayla Lawrence, said the family is supporting his two children — a 12-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son — while hoping for his recovery, though she said he is not currently responding.
The family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Henderson's medical care, ongoing expenses and other injury-related costs tied to the crash, according to the same account.
Police Say They Have Strong Leads, But No Arrest
Ferguson police said investigators have strong leads in the case, but as of Thursday, no arrest had been made. Anyone with information about the crash is encouraged to contact Ferguson police.
Whoever was behind the wheel could face serious criminal exposure once identified. Under Section 577.060 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, leaving the scene of a crash involving physical injury is a Class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison and fines up to $10,000. Missouri law also requires any driver involved in a crash resulting in injury to immediately stop and provide identifying information to the victim or police, according to Beck Law MO, which notes that failing to report an accident involving an injured or unconscious person is a felony regardless of who caused the collision. A conviction also carries steep administrative penalties: six to 12 points added to a driver's license, with 12 points in a 12-month span triggering automatic revocation, per Combs Waterkotte.
Part of a Grim Statewide Pattern
Henderson's crash lands amid a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths across Missouri. The Missouri Department of Transportation recorded 148 pedestrian deaths statewide in 2024, a state record marking a 16% year-over-year increase even as overall traffic fatalities fell 4%. Regional advocacy group Trailnet found that 2024 was the deadliest year on record for pedestrians in St. Louis County, with fatalities rising 24% to 36 deaths, as reported by FOX 2. The county sees more than 23,000 motor vehicle collisions annually, among the highest county-level totals in the state, according to Sumner Law Group.
That local surge stands in contrast to the national picture. Preliminary projections from the Governors Highway Safety Association show nationwide pedestrian deaths fell 7% in 2025 to 6,732, marking a third consecutive year of decline nationally. New Halls Ferry Road just south of Interstate 270, where Henderson was struck, has been identified in Missouri Department of Transportation planning documents as a high-congestion corridor with difficult traffic access points for both drivers and pedestrians.
The BP station has drawn scrutiny before. Hoodline previously reported that a 35-year-old mother of five was killed there in July 2026 by a stray bullet, adding to community concern over safety at the site. For now, Henderson's family is left waiting on his hospital recovery and on Ferguson investigators to turn their leads into an arrest.
