A 45-year-old St. Louis man is dead after his motorcycle was struck by a car that ran a red light late Sunday night in Hazelwood, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The motorcyclist was ejected from his 2009 Yamaha FZ6R and later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The crash happened at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday at northbound U.S. Highway 67 and Elm Grove Avenue, as reported by KSDK. Official crash records reviewed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol put the exact time of impact at 11:31 p.m., with the motorcyclist pronounced dead at 11:59 p.m. at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. Patrol records show a 17-year-old girl from St. Louis was driving a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze that turned left onto northbound Highway 67 against a steady red light, sending the front of her car into the front of the southbound motorcycle.
The motorcyclist, identified by troopers only as a 45-year-old man from St. Louis, slid across the roadway after the collision and was ejected from the bike. No other injuries had been reported as of Monday morning, per the same crash report.
What the Preliminary Crash Report Shows
Patrol logs indicate neither vehicle involved had listed insurance coverage. Both drivers were wearing safety devices at the time of impact, and both the car and the motorcycle were towed from the scene by A2B Towing after the motorcycle was declared a total loss, the report states.
The collision falls squarely into a category of crash that safety researchers have flagged as especially dangerous. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data cited by Richmond Vona shows left-turn collisions account for more than 20% of all intersection crashes nationwide, making the maneuver one of the riskiest on the road. Separately, the Federal Highway Administration reports that red-light running causes more than 1,000 fatalities annually across the country, with roughly half of those killed being occupants of other vehicles, bicyclists, or pedestrians who had the right of way.
Legal Standard for Missouri Drivers
Missouri law holds all motorists to what is known as the “highest degree of care,” a standard stricter than ordinary negligence. Under Revised Statute § 304.012, careless and imprudent driving that results in a traffic accident can be charged as a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail. Whether that or any other charge will be filed against the 17-year-old driver remains an open question; the crash occurred within the hours a Missouri intermediate license holder is legally allowed to drive, since the state's Graduated Driver License curfew for 17-year-olds only restricts driving between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Missouri's motorcycle helmet law, meanwhile, requires all riders under 26 to wear a helmet, while operators 26 and older may ride without one if they carry qualifying health insurance and financial responsibility, according to Highway Patrol guidance. It is not stated in the crash report whether the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision, only that both drivers had safety devices in use.
A Dangerous Corridor Through St. Louis County
U.S. Route 67, also known as Lindbergh Boulevard through Hazelwood, is classified by the Missouri Department of Transportation as a high-volume arterial carrying between 15,000 and 20,000 vehicles daily near connectors like Interstate 270. The stretch has seen repeated fatal crashes in recent months; Hoodline previously reported on a fatal motorcycle crash near Meyer Road in late August and a separate fatal crash involving a teen driver on the same route earlier this summer.
Statewide, motorcycle crashes remain a significant source of traffic deaths. The Highway Patrol recorded 2,459 motorcycle-involved crashes across Missouri in 2023, resulting in 2,141 injuries and 175 fatalities. The investigation into Sunday's Hazelwood crash was handled by Troop C, which oversees traffic safety across 11 eastern Missouri counties including St. Louis County, working alongside Hazelwood police.
No further details on potential charges against the teen driver had been released as of Monday morning. The Missouri State Highway Patrol's report remains the primary source of information on the crash mechanics and vehicle details as the investigation continues.
