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Fatal crash knocks pedestrian off elevated street

On Behalf of | May 8, 2014 | Car Accidents

A horrific accident a pedestrian was killed in the University City section of Philadelphia, when a speeding car ran a red light, collided with another vehicle and stuck the traffic signal pole the pedestrian had attempted to climb in an effort to avoid being hit by the careening car.

The man and the light pole went over the edge of the elevated section of Walnut Street. He struck the pavement, breaking a leg and suffering severe head injuries according to a witness. A city work crew was immediately below the car accident scene and saw the man fall. The man was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for treatment of his injuries, but died 12 hours after he was struck.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but the driver who ran the red light and knocked the man over the safety rail of the street had a pill bottle in the vehicle and police are awaiting the result of blood tests.

The 27-year-old man killed was a graduate student at Wharton, and had just begun a two-year program on Monday. It is likely that his family will file a wrongful death action against the driver of the car that killed him.

The family will want answers to the question why this accident happened. In a case like this, the driver may have been on illegal drugs or he may have been using prescription drugs. For a pedestrian, it points out the hazards we all face when walking anywhere near moving vehicles.

Whether a busy city street or simply walking from our car in a parking lot, we all need to be aware of every moving vehicle, as we never know what is going on in another car; a driver could be intoxicated, on drugs, suffer a medical emergency or be distracted by their cell phone.

Source: 6ABC.com, “Police ID Wharton student killed in Walnut Street accident,” John Rawlins, May 7, 2014

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