Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News

Some Accounts of Fatal Bicycle and Pedestrian Crashes

Every year 7000 pedestrians and 700 bicyclists are killed by motor vehicles. That's 13% of all highway deaths yet we spend less .38 cents per person per year of bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

The following 17 reports were gleaned from newspaper and tv news stories. About 10 bicyclists and 110 pedestrians die in the Greater Philadelphia Region every year.

10-15-02 Pacific Ave Wildwood
Bicyclist
William C. Wise Jr., 66 of Wildwood died after the bicycle he was riding collided with a car at the intersection of Schellenger and Pacific avenues at 7:40 p.m. His bicycle collided with a Jeep Wagon driven by a 40 year-old Wildwood man.

10-16-02 Bristol Rd Bensalem
Pedestrian
A 25-year-old Bensalem woman was struck and killed by a 16-year-old male driver last night in Bensalem, police said.
The crash occurred about 5 p.m. on Bristol Road and Neshaminy Road as the woman was walking along Bristol Road.

12/11/02 Amtrak Main Line Marcus Hook
Pedestrian
A pedestrian who authorities said was trespassing on railroad tracks near the Delaware border was struck and killed yesterday by a train heading to New York. at 2:48 p.m. by an Acela train from Washington.

12-22-2002 Route 309 Hatfield
Pedestrian
A black Honda, being driven by an 18-year-old woman fatally strikes a 61-year-old man from Perkasie, who was walking across a heavily traveled area of Route 309 saturday night in the area of Bethlehem Pike and North Broad Street in Hatfield.

12-23-02 Castor Ave NE Philadelphia
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
A 50-year-old woman was hit by one car as she crossed Castor Avenue at Unruh around 6 p.m. When she tried to get up, a second car struck her and fled. The driver of the first car stopped.

1-03-03 Amtrak Main Line NORWOOD
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
James Dougherty, 43 died after a car hit him as he walked outside a friend's home on Chester Pike on New Year's Day.

3/18/03 Chestnut St West Philadelphia
Pedestrian
Gertrude Young 76 died after being struck by a SEPTA bus as she crossed Chestnut Street at 57th Street shortly before 4:30 p.m. The northbound G bus was turning right onto Chestnut.

4/12/03 South Washington Ave Telford
Pedestrian
Beatrice Nicholson, 87, of East Lincoln Avenue, was walking on the 100 block of South Washington Avenue at 1 p.m. when an 85-year-old Lansdale woman heading north on Washington hit her, borough police said.

4-27-03 Hunting Park Ave North Philadelphia
Bicyclist
Hit and Run
A woman was instantly killed at 8th and Hunting Park Ave at 2:30am. A Hunting Park man was charged in the hit and run death of a bicyclist.

4-28-03 Route 13 Bristol Township
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
A 35 year old woman with a suspended license was driving an uninsured and unregistered 1987 Ford Tempo that struck 9-year-old Timmy David - who was returning from fishing with his brother and a friend - as he tried to cross Route 13 at Green Lane just yards from his home in Bristol.
The woman charged plead guilty and was sentenced to two to four years in the Bucks County Correctional Facility and was fined $2,500.

6/8/03 City Ave Lower Merion
Pedestrian
A man crossing City Avenue early yesterday near St. Joseph's University was killed after being struck by two cars while trying to cross the street at Cardinal Avenue. He was hit first by a car heading south that was driven by a West Chester man then hit again by an Ardmore man driving a sport-utility vehicle in the same direction.

9/10/03 Route 38 Cherry Hill
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
Ravija Rufati 40, was struck while she was trying to cross Route 38 near Cooper Landing Road at 8:56 p.m. Sept. 10
A 23 year-old Cherry Hill man was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident,

11-7-03 Route 13 Bristol Township
Pedestrian
Hit and Run
A car struck and killed Russell Bennett 44-year-old of Bristol Township on Route 13 in Bristol Township at 1:12 a.m.
A two-door, 1986 Pontiac Grand Am. was spotted leaving the scene on Route 13 just past Beaver Dam Road.

10/11/03 Ogontz Ave West Oak Lane
Bicyclist
Hit and Run
A man was struck and killed on a bicycle in the 66-hundred block of Ogontz Avenue overnight.

10/3/03 Route 611 Warrington
Pedestrian
James Robert Galbraith, 42, was struck in the northbound lanes by an SUV driven by a 58 Year-Old New Hope man, as he tried to cross in the middle of a block on Route 611 at 10:45 p.m. On a dark stretch of road north of the Creekview Shopping Center

10/27/03 Interstate 95 Upland
Pedestrian
Dennis McCollum, 31, of Broomall, died after being hit at 4:10 a.m. after being struck by three vehicles and killed while walking on Interstate 95 in the southbound lane of the highway in Upland, Delaware County, a half-mile north of the Route 322 exit.

12/1/03 Route 130 Cinnaminson
Pedestrian
William Hauck, 24, of the Kensington section of Philadelphia was struck by a minivan on Route 130 in Cinnaminson at 9:30pm as he was walking north in the left southbound lane
The driver of the minivan pulled over and rendered assistance and was not charged