Car crash at 38th and Spruce

A three-car crash at 38th and Spruce streets at around 5:00 p.m. left at least one injured, according to Philadelphia Police officers on the scene. This marks the sixth incident at the intersection this calendar year.

A man was taken away in an ambulance just after 5:30 p.m. Two cars had smashed headlights and the third had a crushed passenger door. The crash left Spruce Street blocked off from 38th to 40th streets.

This intersection has a long history of accidents. Last semester, five accidents at the intersection sent six people to the hospital and involved four student pedestrians getting struck by cars.

Most of the accidents involved drivers attempting to make a left turn at the intersection. On Feb. 22, 2013, two accidents occurred at the intersection. The first involved an elderly woman who lost control of her vehicle while making a left turn and hit a traffic signal. The second happened when a car hit three students crossing at the intersection.

A 2009 campus transportation study commissioned by the Division of Public Safety and Facilities and Real Estate Services listed 38th and Spruce streets as one of campus’s most problematic intersections. It noted that the intersection had “high pedestrian conflicts with with turning vehicles,” noting that pedestrian safety was a “critical issue” at the intersection.

The Philadelphia Streets Department is aiming to install “bumpouts” to improve pedestrian safety by the end of the year. The bumpouts will push the curb and sidewalk at each of the intersection’s corners further into the street.

Those who had been in the three cars in Sunday’s accident declined to comment. As of press time, DPS has not yet responded to a request for a comment.

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