Pedestrian hit-and-run that left woman dead marks 20th case in Philadelphia this year
The driver may have tried to swerve but still ended up hitting the victim and plowing down the sidewalk, investigators say.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police are still searching for the driver and suspects involved in a hit-and-run that left a woman dead in North Philadelphia on Sunday night.
The incident marks the 20th fatal pedestrian hit-and-run in Philadelphia so far this year.
"It's a tragedy," said Christopher Gale, executive director of Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
The organization advocates for safer streets for all Philadelphians, including those who walk in the city.
"It makes one scared about being in the streets," he said of the statistics involving fatal hit-and-run crashes.
The latest incident happened around 7:30 p.m. when a 42-year-old woman was killed while crossing the street near the intersection of N. 5th St. and Indiana Avenue.
Police say a silver Hyundai Sonata hit the woman as it came speeding down the roadway.
The driver may have tried to swerve but still ended up hitting the victim and plowing down the sidewalk, investigators say.
Three males were in the car, and all of them ran away, according to police.
The badly damaged car was later recovered at the scene.
"To say, 'I'm just going to leave the person here because I'm afraid of the consequences,' is terrible," said Gale.
As investigators search for the suspects, the coalition continues to advocate for making the streets safer.
"We still have so much work to do to ensure that everybody gets to their destination safely," said Gale.
According to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, there have been 27 fatal hit-and-runs in the city so far this year.
Nineteen of them involved pedestrians. Sunday's incident marks the 20th such case.
Looking at numbers from the coalition, the 6abc data team found there have been 91 total traffic fatalities in Philadelphia this year. Thirty-eight of them have involved pedestrians.
"You should be able to get where you're going and be safe," said Gale.
Police say there were drugs and guns inside the car that hit the victim. The vehicle is registered in Lancaster County but has not been reported stolen.
Anyone with information is asked to call Philadelphia police.
