1 critical in multi-vehicle crash involving Philadelphia police SUV
"All of a sudden, it was like 'boom,' I just jumped up," said one neighbor.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are investigating an early morning accident in Olney on Friday that involved up to five vehicles, including two police vehicles.
It happened around 5:15 a.m. on the 4900 block of North 5th Street.
Debris was scattered across North 5th Street near Ruscomb.
A Toyota sedan was totaled, and there was visible damage to a pickup truck.
A police patrol vehicle was rear-ended and, according to police, another vehicle was hit but not damaged.
A parked car was also struck.
"All of a sudden it was like 'boom.' I just jumped up," said one neighbor named Beverly, who declined to provide her last name.
Authorities say the driver of the Toyota was speeding north on 5th, when she crashed into the pickup truck, which in turn hit a parked car and a marked police vehicle.
"I just opened the window, and all I saw was black smoke and white smoke, and I heard a woman screaming, screaming for help," Beverly said.
She continued, "They got her out. The car over there was damaged; they had somebody in there. The police officer, they got him out of here quickly."
"I turned around and like - smoke and just chaos," added another woman who rushed over after hearing the helicopters overhead.
Police later learned the driver of the Toyota may have been fleeing the scene of another crash. That driver was listed in critical condition and her passenger was stable.
Surveillance video obtained by 6abc shows at least one officer who had a close call as the car whizzed by them at high speed.
The video, obtained from the barbershop Grande Ligas, showed an officer crossing 5th Street on foot. Just a few seconds later the car sped by and crashed.
One police officer was taken to the hospital for evaluation and was stable.
"It's crazy on 5th Street. Really crazy. Usually double parked up. Make sure there's a sliver of space to get by. Flying through," described Ranee, who did not provide her last name.
"It's so dangerous, people speeding around here all the time. It's really bad," said Teri Laessig of Olney.
