There have been 22,888 hit and run accidents in Philadelphia since January 2014 according to police data obtained and reviewed by the NBC 10 Investigators.
Hit and ran car accidents have killed eight and caused 903 injuries or property damage in the past 18 months.
“I heard the car coming real fast down my block,” mother Josie Rivera said. “My first thing was ‘don’t cross. No David no.’”
Rivera’s son David was killed in April near his home off Lehigh Avenue.
The NBC 10 Investigators mapped every hit and run accident in the city since January 2014.
48 hit and run accidents happened near the intersection of Adams Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard – the most in the city.
The map shows the deadliest stretch for hit and runs on Lehigh Avenue between Front street and Mascher.
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“Unfortunately we’re reactive in our unit and we maybe need some more proactive measures,” Philadelphia police Captain John Wilczynski said.
The captain said increasing enforcement, educating drivers and changing the engineering on city streets could lead to fewer hit and runs.
Speed bumps are illegal in Philadelphia, however after reviewing the NBC 10 Investigators map members of the city council are considering solutions.
“Do we have to slow down traffic? Do we have to time lights? Do we have to install more stop signs? What do we need to look at city wide?” councilman Mark Squilla said.
Squilla is chairman of the city streets and services committee.
Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., who chairs the city’s public safety committee, also reviewed the hit and run map.
The Philadelphia District Attorney said his office prosecutes between 500 and 600 hit and run cases each year. In 2015 there have been more than 9,000 hit and runs.
