July 22, 2024
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
Two pedestrians were killed, including a 22-month-old girl, and three others were injured in traffic crashes in Philadelphia over the weekend, police say.
Two pedestrians, including a 22-month-old, were killed and several more were injured after they were struck by cars over the weekend. The fatalities came just days after a bicyclist and another pedestrian were killed in separate crashes Wednesday.
On Saturday, a 31-year-old mother and her two daughters were hit as they were crossing the street in a crosswalk at Front Street and Wyoming Avenue in North Philly at 8:50 p.m. when they were struck by a 28-year-old man driving a Dodge Ram 1500 Classic, police said. The driver was attempting to make a left turn from Wyoming Avenue onto Front Street at the time. The mother was pushing her 22-month-old in a stroller when they were struck.
The 22-month-old died at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children at 9:32 p.m., police said. The mother and her 13-year-old daughter were treated for injuries to their feet and ankles at Einstein Philadelphia Medical Center.
The pedestrians and the driver each had a green light at the time of the crash, police said. The driver remained at the scene and has not been charged.
At 8:45 p.m. Saturday, a man was struck while crossing the street on the 1300 block of Rising Sun Avenue in North Philly by a Nissan Altima heading westbound. He was taken to Temple University Hospital with a head injury and listed in critical condition. The driver of the Nissan, Vincent Dennis, 60, was charged with driving under the influence.
On Sunday, a man was fatally struck at 5:02 a.m. on the 4200 block of Aramingo Avenue in Frankford. Police said the man appeared to have been dragged by the vehicle. As of Sunday morning, investigators had not identified the man who was killed, NBC10 reported. Police believe the crash was a hit-and-run; a 2015 Ford Fusion found abandoned in the northbound lanes of Aramingo Avenue was towed by police for investigation.
These crashes came after cyclist Barbara Ann Friedes, a third-year pediatric resident at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, was killed Wednesday after being struck by a 2018 Volkswagen on the 1800 block of Spruce Street. Friedes, 30, was wearing a helmet and riding in the bike lane when she was hit.
Around the same time, Christopher Cabrera was fatally struck by a motorist at the corner of Frankford and East Allegheny avenues. A few hours earlier, a 26-year-old woman was hit while she was crossing the 5800 block of Chew Avenue in East Germantown. She was hospitalized in critical condition. The driver – Sekia Spencer, 40 – allegedly fled the scene and was charged with aggravated assault and driving under the influence.
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia called Friedes' death preventable, saying concrete barriers around the bike lane would have offered protection from drivers. Many also noted that Mayor Cherelle Parker's budget called for less funding for Vision Zero efforts, which fight traffic fatalities.
"While we don’t yet know the name of the pedestrian in critical condition and many of the other traffic victims who have been killed and seriously injured this year, they all deserve attention and priority from our community and elected officials," the Coalition wrote in a statement on Thursday.
