Taxicab flips on side in accident on Walnut St.

In a dramatic auto accident last night, a Reliable Cab Services taxi flipped over, landing on the driver's side and slamming into three other cars at 40th and Walnut streets at about 9:30 p.m. last night. Miraculously, there were no injuries. Amidst the wreckage, Philadelphia Fire Rescue personnel extricated the taxi driver, Gen Chenet of Philadelphia, through the passenger side's door on what had become the top of the vehicle. At least 10 Philadelphia and University Police vehicles responded within minutes of the accident to close off the 4100 block of Walnut Street to traffic. In addition, although police scrambled to collect evidence about the incident, the cause of the accident remained unknown. One person who witnessed the incident, Kesha Wilson, said she saw another car hit the cab on its left side and flee west on Walnut Street. Latasha Wilson, another witness, said the other car involved in the accident appeared to be a green colored taxi-cab. Chenet, a taxi driver for over 17 years, said he did not know how the accident happened and never saw the second car. In addition, he said he was not speeding at the time of the accident while he drove west on Walnut Street at about 35 miles per hour. "It was happening so fast," he said. "It felt like the front [of the taxi] was shaking." Of the three cars damaged by the taxi, the most severe was a black Cadillac Eldorado. The left rear of the car was crumpled from the impact of the taxi, exposing the entire wheel. The Cadillac's owner, who was at the scene of the accident, was visibly shaken and refused to comment. As it crashed, the taxi pushed the Cadillac forward into a black Mercury, damaging the rear bumper. A fourth car on the scene was also damaged.

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