PHILADELPHIA — A devastating crash on Roosevelt Boulevard claimed two lives and left another person critically injured Thursday afternoon in Northeast Philadelphia.
The incident occurred just before 2 p.m. in the 9000 block of East Roosevelt Boulevard. Authorities say a man driving a van in the outer lane lost control and struck two pedestrians before the vehicle overturned and split apart against a tree.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, where firefighters used heavy rescue tools to carefully extricate the driver from the wreckage. Despite their efforts, police confirmed the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. One of the pedestrians, later identified as John Reed, also died from his injuries. The second pedestrian was taken to the hospital, where they remain in critical condition.
Neighbors described the crash as one of the worst accidents they had ever witnessed. “One minute everything is going on, and then the next minute, something unfortunate happens and then it’s all over,” said Ryan Collins of Northeast Philadelphia.
The van was registered to Raymond Arbor Pengate, a Willow Grove-based company specializing in material handling equipment. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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