Freshman killed in bicycle accident

Sung Woo Yang, 18, was hit by a truck as he rode his bicycle near the corner of 33rd and Spruce streets. An 18-year-old Wharton freshman was killed yesterday afternoon after the bicycle he was riding collided with a truck at the corner of 33rd and Spruce streets. Sung Woo Yang, an international student from Korea who lived in Hill College House and went by the name "Michael," was pronounced dead at 3 p.m. upon arrival at the emergency room at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University spokesperson Ken Wildes said. University Police believe Yang was traveling north on 33rd Street and hit the tractor trailer as it made a right turn from 33rd onto Spruce. University Police Chief Maureen Rush said the incident is not being investigated as a criminal matter. The accident marks the first on-campus death of an undergraduate in recent memory and is also the second fatal bicycle accident in the past 10 days. Officials said the collision occurred at about 2:30 p.m. Rush said it appears that Yang ran into the rear wheel of the truck as it was turning and was pulled under. The mangled bicycle lay in the middle of the street yesterday as police officers examined the scene. A single shoe and half of a pair of glasses rested on the ground nearby. Rush said police do not believe Yang was wearing a bicycle helmet. The Philadelphia Police Department is leading the investigation into the incident with the assistance of the University Police. The driver of the A-1 Pipe Inc. truck, who Rush said was in his mid-30s, was questioned at the scene by Philadelphia Police officers. "There was no indication that he was reckless or doing anything out of the norm." Rush said. "He was extremely distraught at the scene," she added. Officials at A-1 Pipe could not be reached for comment yesterday. University officials notified Yang's family, who live in Cairo, Egypt, late yesterday afternoon, according to Leah Smith, spokesperson for the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life. She said the office will be in touch with Yang's family, friends and other students in the coming days to offer support and counselling services. "Services are readily available in times of emergency," Smith said. No plans have been made yet for memorial services, Smith said. Arrangements are typically organized with the cooperation of the family. In a written statement, University President Judith Rodin offered her condolences to Yang's family yesterday. "We are terribly saddened by the untimely death of this young man so new to our community," the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers are most certainly with his family and friends." Interim Wharton Dean Patrick Harker also mourned Wang's death. "This young man's death is a tragic loss for his family, friends and classmates," he said. "Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with him during this difficult time." This is the second on-campus death of a bicyclist in the past 10 days. On October 8, 70-year old Benjamin Tencer, a senior citizen who was taking classes at Penn as part of a special program for the elderly, was hit by a taxi at the corner of 34th and Walnut streets. He died three days later. This second death may force the University to closely re-examine bicycle safety on campus. But Rush, while saying that there is a need for increased bike safety on campus, said a bike lane probably would have made little difference in this incident. "It's not like it's anyone's fault in these two situations," Rush said. "We don't have people driving reckless in either case. In both cases the driver stopped immediately."

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