PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A woman was killed after she was hit by an SUV while crossing North Broad Street in North Philadelphia late Wednesday night.
The 59-year-old victim left a convenience store in the area of North Broad Street and Grange Avenue in Ogontz shortly before midnight, according to police. As she attempted to cross Broad Street from west to east, she was hit by a Subaru Ascent going north on Broad.
“[The victim] was hit with such impact that she was knocked out of both of her sneakers and her body was launched about 100 feet,” said Chief Inspector Scott Small.
The unidentified woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, a woman in her 30s, stayed on location.
“She was checked out by police,” said Small. “All her credentials appear to be in order. She does not appear to be impaired. So at this time, this appears to be a tragic, fatal auto accident.”
It was not immediately clear if the driver was speeding. Police spoke with witnesses and gathered neighborhood surveillance video as they continued their investigation into yet another deadly crash in Philadelphia.
There has been an increase in traffic collisions and traffic-related deaths in the city since 2020, police officials said. There have been dozens of such deaths this year alone.
In an effort to curb aggressive driving, police have led several traffic enforcement blitzes on North Broad Street and other trouble areas in the city. A month-long blitz focusing on stretches of Island Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia and Aramingo Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia started this week.
Groups advocating for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists have been expressing concerns about aggressive driver behavior, too. Rallies and vigils took place last month after three separate crashes happened in a matter of hours. A CHOP doctor was fatally struck while riding her bike, and two pedestrians were killed.