University Police have undertaken an investigation into a Nov. 4 accident involving a patrol motorcycle and two Drexel graduate students on Locust Walk.
The vehicle struck the man and woman at about 3:45 p.m. on Locust Walk as they were walking outside Steinberg-Dietrich Hall.
Police and witnesses at the scene have diverging accounts, but they agree on one important point: the officer was distracted when he hit the pedestrians.
The victims, who are both 26, were taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with minor injuries. The man suffered a laceration to the back, while the woman sustained a sprained ankle.
Initial statements from Chief of Penn Police Mark Dorsey indicated that the officer was looking at a bike rack for signs of theft or other suspicious activity when the couple stepped in front of him.
The officer on the motorcycle had been assigned to Locust Walk to help monitor bike racks.
Multiple witnesses, among them College senior Sam Nathan, said that the officer was reaching for a flyer distributed by the New Spirit of Penn Gospel Choir, not inspecting bike racks, at the time of the accident.
Nathan, a Mask & Wig member, said he saw the entire scene as he stood nearby promoting last weekend's show.
Dorsey would not specify a cause for the officer's distraction last week when he was asked about the situation.
"The bottom line is, whether he was examining bike racks or reaching for a flyer, he needs to be in control of his vehicle at all times," Dorsey said.
The investigation will conclude with a hearing at the end of the month during which the motorcycle officer -- whom Dorsey declined to identify -- will come before a panel of police supervisors to explain the incident.
Police did not divulge any further information about the victims, either.
Dorsey said that the officer has never been involved in another traffic accident during his time on the Penn Police force.
At the end of each month, police hold hearings to investigate police-related traffic accidents, if any occurred during the period.
Ultimately, Dorsey said, each incident is classified as "preventable" or "non-preventable."
If the collision is ruled preventable, Dorsey added, a mandatory day of vehicle training at the Philadelphia Police Academy would be one possible outcome for a first incident.
He stressed, though, that police are not jumping to conclusions about the preventability of the incident and that the officer will have an opportunity to explain his side at the hearing.
Dorsey said shortly after the accident that police try to minimize the use of patrol motorcycles on Locust Walk but that sometimes it is necessary when there are not enough bicycle-mounted officers available to perform the necessary bike-rack checks.
During peak hours, only police are allowed to ride bikes on the Walk.
No similar accidents have occurred in recent years of which Dorsey is aware.
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