Bicyclist hit by auto at 34th, Walnut

The 70-year-old victim, who takes Penn classes through CGS, was still in critical condition at HUP as of last night. A 70-year-old man who attends classes at Penn remained in critical condition last night after being struck by an automobile at 34th and Walnut streets Friday morning. According to University Police, the man was passing through the busy intersection on his bicycle at around 10 a.m. when he was hit by a taxi traveling west on Walnut Street. Police officials said the man suffered "severe head trauma" and was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after the accident. Last night, a hospital spokesperson said the victim remained in critical condition but would not comment specifically on the nature of his injuries. College junior Kimberly Ling, who was walking past the Moravian CafZs food court in the 3401 Walnut Street complex at the time, saw the scene immediately after the accident and said she could tell right away that it was severe. "There was just a stream of blood coming from his head and a big pool of blood about a foot away," Ling said. "You couldn't see a massive head wound because it was coming from under [his] head." Ling said that a crowd of about 25 people gathered in the area after the accident, including several passers-by who stopped to help direct passing traffic around the victim and his twisted bicycle. Another person, Ling said, was helping a University Police officer stabilize the man. "A bike cop was instructing a person on how to hold his windpipe open because he was choking on his own blood," Ling said. Ling, who was on the way to class when she saw the accident, said the victim was struck near the southwest corner of Walnut Street, near Locust Walk. She added that although she could not see for herself, a person next to her kept saying "he should've had a helmet on." The cab driver stopped immediately, according to both Ling and police officials. Police are not believed to be investigating the collision as a criminal incident. The victim is one of several hundred older adults who attends classes as part of the University's Senior Associates program, run by the College of General Studies and the Institute on Aging. University spokesperson Ken Wildes said that Friday's accident could serve as an impetus for pedestrian safety improvement on and around campus. "I think an accident like that certainly, in many ways, is a wake-up call and it will intensify our work with the city to address the problem of safety on the streets for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists," Wildes said. The difficulty, Wildes said, lies in the fact that Penn must consult the city before making any changes to the streets.

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