An Arnold behavioral therapy school, which serves children with autism, was forced to close after a pickup slammed into its building over the weekend.
Arnold Police reported a 21-year-old Barnhart man crashed into Opportunities Without Limits, 3685 W. Outer Road, at about 2:10 a.m. June 20.
The school’s sudden closure left 35 children with autism without a school to attend and 30 employees unsure of what they will do for work, said Ashley Dirnberger, intake and client coordinator at Opportunities Without Limits (OWL).
“It has been a lot of phone calls, talking to insurance adjusters, trying to figure out when they can get out here and what the different routes that may be taken,” Dirnberger said on Monday outside of the building where more than 30 employees and families gathered to show their support.
OWL is a nonprofit organization that opened in 2024 and offers early intervention programs for children who are 18 months old through 6 years old, according to its website.
Dirnberger said some employees were able to enter the building Monday morning to retrieve computers, personnel belongings and other items from some of the rooms.
She said the earliest the school may reopen is two months, but the organization is still gathering information about what would need to be done to allow OWL to reopen. She also said OWL is unable to operate at a temporary location.
“We have had people suggest looking for a church or community center, but it comes down to the materials that we use; everything is in the building,” said Dirnberger, who has worked with OWL owner Elise Bagley since 2021 when Bagley owned Owl Therapy Services off Jeffco Boulevard in Arnold before transitioning to a nonprofit agency and relocating to the current OWL building.
A 21-year-old Barnhart man on June 20 drove a pickup into Opportunities Without Limits, a behavioral therapy clinic that serves children with developmental disabilities, at 3685 W. Outer Road in Arnold.
Accident
Brittany Maddox, whose 3-year-old son, Barry, attends OWL, said she saw the accident just after it happened.
“My husband (Jerry) and I were out on a date night, and we drove by about seven or eight minutes after it happened,” Maddox of Imperial said. “I saw the truck in the building. I called the owner, and she didn’t wake up until about an hour after I called her. I met her here.
“I thought what am I going do? What is the business going to do? How do we move forward? Thank God nobody was hurt or killed, but my son relies on the therapy.”
According to Arnold Police, the man was driving a 2023 Chevrolet Colorado south on nearby I-55 when he fell asleep, went off the interstate, traveled down an embankment, went through a fence, crossed West Outer Road and hit the building.
The man was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries, and the building and pickup had major damage, police reported.
On Monday, Detective Lt. Jeremy Christopher said no charges were being sought against the driver.
Krista Schwer, a behavior analyst who has worked at OWL for just more than a year, said she was told about the accident at about 8 a.m. June 20.
“I didn’t really process that it was our building, I thought it was someone’s house,” she said. “I thought something happened to my co-workers. When they started talking about an emergency meeting, I realized it was our building. It was devastating.”
Dirnberger said Bagley called her at about 5 a.m. June 20 to tell her about the accident.
“I was in shock and disbelief,” she said. “It took me about 20 minutes to process that it was real.”
Impact
Aubrey Fuentes, whose 4-year-old boy, Gentry, has attended OWL for about a year, said she found out about the accident and closure on June 21. She said her family was traveling to their family’s farm to celebrate Father’s Day.
“I bawled,” Fuentes of Imperial said. “All I could think of was all of the kids because every child has been progressing in their own ways. I thought about all of the techs who put their heart and soul into this every day. We all lost everything in the blink of an eye.
“I feel like with this community and heart of this place, it will come back as it was, if not better.”
Patricia Grimm of Dittmer said her 4-year-old daughter, Evie, has attended OWL since she was about 18 months old.
She said before attending OWL, her daughter was unable to form sentences or communicate with people. She said Evie is now able to speak in complete sentences, hold conversations and interact with other children.
“She was never able to do any of that before,” Grimm said. “OWL really changed the way that she functions every day.”
Grimm said her family is fortunate because her husband, Andrew, is recovering from a car accident in May and is able to stay home with their daughter.
“It is still hard,” Grimm said. “(Evie) does understand to a degree, but there are a lot of other kids there who do not. Honestly, Evie could pretty successfully transfer to a preschool, but for some of these kids, this is all we have.”
Fuentes said she is scrambling to find another school for Gentry while OWL is closed.
“A lot of places are full right now,” she said. “Since the therapists who work here will be without a job, I will reach out to them in hopes that I may be able to get them to watch (Gentry). This is a huge impact for everyone.”
Maddox said she has started looking for another program to enroll Barry. She also said she plans to bring Barry back to OWL when it reopens.
“Even taking two months off can be detrimental in his momentum of his progressing,” she said. “It can be a very big back step. I’m going to be supportive, and as soon as they open, I will come back.
“This is affecting 30 employees, 30 families. This is affecting so many people, which is really sad.”
Schwer, 32, of St. Louis County said she is taking her boards to become a certified behavior analyst this week. On Monday, she said she was not thinking about what she will do for work while OWL is closed.
“I will help wherever possible,” she said. “We are a family here, and I can’t stress that enough.”
Dirnberger said employees are looking for temporary jobs.
“I know most people want to come back,” she said. “We are kind of just taking it day-by-day at this point.”
Grimm said the families at OWL are close knit.
“We drop off every day at the same time and pick up every day at the same time,” Grimm said. “They go to birthday parties and play dates. It is important to us because it is harder to have that relationship with other parents when your kids are so different. Parents who have kids with autism know what each other are going through. We support each other and having all of us together like that is important.”
Support
A GoFundMe account has been created for OWL, called “Support ABA School’s Urgent Repair Need.”
As of Monday afternoon, $10,671 had been donated to the account.
In a Facebook post Monday, OWL said those who would prefer to donate directly to the organization may send money through Venmo to @OpportunitiesWL. The organization also said people may contact OWL to arrange another way to donate by emailing adirnberger@owltherapy.org.
“It is amazing,” Dirnberger said of the support. “We are a very close team that works very close together. It has become a lot like a family. With me being a client coordinator, I am kind of the first person for all parents and families to talk to, and I know a lot about these families. Knowing they are going to have to look for alternative solutions and waiting to see what is going to happen is heartbreaking.
“The amount of support of love we have had since (the accident) is amazing.”