PHILADELPHIA – Tragedy struck early Friday morning when a vehicle packed with juveniles went airborne off an I-95 ramp in South Philadelphia, claiming the life of one and injuring five others.
What we know:
The fatal accident occurred around 1 a.m. when a Nissan Maxima traveling southbound exited I-95 at Washington Avenue.
Police say the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed while attempting to make a turn. The car struck a curb, went airborne and eventually landed on its passenger side on South Christopher Columbus Boulevard.
Emergency responders extracted six juveniles from the sedan:
- A 16-year-old female who was seated in the center rear of the vehicle and was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.
- The 17-year-old male driver and a 15-year-old female passenger were transported to Jefferson Hospital.
- The front seat passenger and rear seat passenger, both 17-year-old males, were transported to CHOP in stable condition.
- The fourth rear seat passenger, a 17-year-old female, was transported to Penn Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition.
The conditions of the 17-year-old male driver and a 15-year-old female passenger have yet to be released.
Dig deeper:
FOX 29’s Morgan Parrish reported that the vehicle, which was completely totaled and towed away, was not designed to safely accommodate the six juveniles who were trapped inside the wreckage following the impact.
What’s next:
Both the Philadelphia Police and Pennsylvania State Police responded to the incident, alongside state inspection teams, and remained on the scene for several hours overnight.
Investigators are currently working to determine the exact cause of the crash. Police plan to review footage from a surveillance camera located atop a traffic light on Christopher Columbus Boulevard to get a clearer picture of the event. At this time, it remains unknown whether drugs or alcohol were contributing factors.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by Philadelphia police and Pennsylvania State Police.
