‘Everybody is kind of shaken’: Neighbors, business owners react to woman killed by fallen tree

ST. LOUIS — A woman died in The Grove during Saturday night’s storm, after severe weather brought a tree down on top of her car, while she was inside.

According to St. Louis police, the woman was 33 years old, but she still hasn’t been identified.

Neighbors told 5 On Your Side she had just moved to The Grove neighborhood.

This heartbreaking tragedy has affected many, including local business owner Tatyana Telnikova.

“Everybody is kind of shaken,” she said.

Despite the sunshine Sunday morning, neighbors along Chouteau and Talmage Avenue are still thinking about Saturday night’s weather and the tragedy it brought to their street. Neighbors like Eddie Allen.

“I don’t think no one had any idea that it would be as devastating as it [was],” he said.

Allen said the storm came out of nowhere.

“The rain and the wind began to blow and a few minutes later I heard a boom,” he said.

That boom was the tree behind Allen’s house falling down.

It wasn’t until later that Allen learned the tree fell on top of a car, which lead to the death of a 33-year-old woman.

“I can’t imagine what her relatives and what have you are going through,” he said.

Allen has lived in his home for close to 50 years and said that tree has been a constant concern.

“My worry has always been that tree back there,” he said.

According to witnesses, a couple of people went to help the woman inside the car as soon as it happened.

Telnikova said the people that were trying to help the woman told her the woman was responsive and talking to them, while they frantically called 911.

“My understanding is that they sat there with her for like at least 30 to 40 minutes and she was still alive, until she was not,” she said.

Telnikova owns the HandleBar in The Grove and said one of her employees and another business owner tried to save the woman.

“[The other business owner] just couldn’t sleep all night, and I mean, it makes sense, like watching a life just waste away like this out of nowhere,” she said.

While most of the area is at a loss for words, many are trying to wrap their heads around just how short life can be.

“The lesson I’ve learned from this is again, again and again — appreciate every day you have on this earth because you never know when it’s going to be the last one,” Telnikova said.

The City of St. Louis’ Department of Public Safety issued this statement Saturday night in response to 5 On Your Side’s request for comment.

“Today’s severe storms created a large volume of 911 calls to police and fire dispatch. The Department of Public Safety is aware of the social media posts in question and is investigating the circumstances that led up to this incident.”

Most of The Grove neighborhood is still without power, as of Sunday afternoon.