A pregnant woman was killed while getting out of her vehicle on a Missouri highway.
Leah Hyde was driving a “2015 Subaru Forester westbound on James River Expressway … when the vehicle hit the concrete median divider and came to a stop in the far inside lane” near Campbell around 1:23 p.m. on June 2, the Springfield Police Department (SPD) shared on Facebook.
Police said when Hyde, 24, got out of the driver’s side of the vehicle, she was hit by a westbound 2017 Toyota Corolla driven by 25-year-old Sheri Jones, who was allegedly attempting to avoid the vehicle in the roadway by driving her car around Hyde’s car on the left.
Hyde died as a result of the collision, and her family was notified.
“The circumstances of the crash are part of an ongoing investigation,” SPD wrote in a statement, encouraging anyone with information to come forward or make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers.
In addition to mourning Hyde’s death, her family paid tribute to her unborn daughter, Lark Elizabeth, who was “five months along and already so deeply loved,” according to a GoFundMe created by a family friend.
“Leah was the kind of person this world needs more of,” Bernadette Shively wrote. “She had a heart that was always turned toward others — especially children. She dedicated her life to serving and caring for kids, showing up for them with a love that came naturally and completely. She was the best. Anyone who knew her will tell you the same.”