No charges filed in latest campus bike death

The Philadelphia Police Department is not pursuing criminal charges stemming from Tuesday's fatal accident at 33rd and Spruce streets, which claimed the life of an 18-year-old Wharton freshman. Michael Yang, an international student from Korea who lived in Hill College House, was riding his bicycle on 33rd Street when he collided with a truck at about 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. He was pronounced dead a short time later at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Cpl. Jim Pauley, a PPD spokesperson, said yesterday that the Auto Investigation Division is still attempting to uncover exactly what caused the crash Tuesday afternoon. "We're trying to determine what was the cause of the accident," Pauley said. "At this time it just appears to be an unfortunate accident." Police officials believe that Yang was traveling north on 33rd Street and hit the truck as it made a right turn from 33rd onto Spruce. Pauley explained that interviewing witnesses, recording measurements and gathering physical evidence from the scene are part of the ongoing investigation. He could not provide an estimated timetable for the investigation. University Police are assisting in the investigation, but it is being primarily handled by the PPD. And while police investigators try to determine the cause of Yang's accident, his friends here at Penn and his family in Cairo, Egypt are trying to come to grips with the tragedy. Yang's funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. today at the Keeho Kim Funeral Home at 5800 N. 5th Street. Leah Smith, spokesperson for the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life, said that officials have spoken with Yang's family several times, but are now giving them time to grieve and to approach the University on their own if they need assistance. Associate Vice Provost Juana Lewis is heading the effort. Smith said that dealing with the situation from halfway across the world has been trying for members of the Yang family, but they are handling it "as best as they can." "To be so far away and to have to take this news by phone is extremely difficult," Smith said. "They are extremely distraught and just trying to come to terms with it." Tuesday's crash was the second fatal bike accident in just 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, was hit by a taxi at the corner of 34th and Walnut streets. He died three days later. Though the deaths of Yang and Tencer have resulted in a University-wide call for increased bicyclist and pedestrian safety measures, University Police Chief Maureen Rush said that her department has been working proactively to combat the issue for several years. Rush highlighted increased signage at busy intersections and efforts to educate pedestrians with flyers and presentations as two key measures. And, she said, "an awful lot of work" has been put into controlling speeding drivers on campus streets. According to internal statistics, University Police issued 2,280 traffic violations in 1998, compared to just 1,267 in 1996. And the totals are likely to increase, Rush noted, with the upcoming implementation of a speed tracking device, purchased by University Police over the summer. The tracker measures the speed of passing cars without the use of radar, which police are not legally allowed to use for issuing tickets in Philadelphia. But Rush said that even if there are more bike lanes and other initiatives to promote safety, accidents are still bound to happen in the busy University City area. "Having responsible drivers, responsible pedestrians and responsible bike riders working together will prevent some of these things, but sometimes things just happen," Rush said. "I see the major issue is over 150,000 people using one square mile and everyone trying to traverse in conditions that are not always the best," she added.