Standout softball player, recent grad of Belleville West killed in St. Louis crash

A recent Belleville West graduate was killed in a vehicle crash Sunday in downtown St. Louis.

According to St. Louis Metropolitan Police, the crash occurred shortly before 3 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 44 at Walnut Street near the Gateway Arch. Police reported that the female driver of a Toyota Corolla was killed, but did not initially identify her.

The St. Louis medical examiner’s office on Tuesday confirmed that the victim was Emily Allen, 18, of Millstadt. She had been a standout softball player at Belleville West, from which she graduated in the spring.

A 25-year-old man, also not named by police, was transported in critical condition to an area hospital.

According to police, a 2018 Chrysler 200, a 2021 Toyota Corolla and a Mercury Milan were involved in the collision. Either the Corolla, driven by Allen, or the Chrysler was driving in the wrong direction, they say.

The crash remains under investigation.

The driver and passenger in the Mercury Milan were not injured in the crash. Police said they are cooperating with the investigation.

As a senior, Allen batted .356 with a home run and 17 runs batted in and was selected Athlete of the Week by a poll of BND readers in April.

Allen was a summertime teammate and friend of Maddison “Maddi” Rodriguez, a Belleville East senior who died in a single-car crash on a rural stretch of road near Freeburg on Feb. 13.

This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 1:58 PM.