Philadelphia

Woman with wheelchair killed after being thrown 100 feet by hit-and-run driver

The deadly crash happened along a quiet stretch of Reservoir Drive on Oct. 15, 2024, Philadelphia police said

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A woman either using a wheelchair or pushing one was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver along the edge of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park early Tuesday morning.

A damaged wheelchair marked the spot where the woman was struck along Reservoir Drive -- near Diamond Drive and the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood -- just before 2 a.m. on Oct. 15, 2024, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

"The female was either in the wheelchair or pushing the wheelchair, we're not certain at this time because there were no witnesses to this accident," Small said.

She was hit by such force that one of her boots was found about 100 feet from her body, police said.

"She was knocked out of one of her boots," Small said.

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Two people pulled up shortly after the crash and found the woman -- who police couldn't identify -- semiconscious, police said.

Medics pronounced the woman -- who had severe head and body injuries -- dead on the scene shortly after they arrived.

Investigators didn't immediately know if the driver was going northbound or southbound, Small said. Police hoped some broken car parts at the scene could help them determine the type of car involved.

"Speed definitely could have been a factor," Small said.

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