Officials: Man Killed In Fiery Crash On Henry Avenue In Roxborough
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A fiery car crash Friday morning in Roxborough claimed the life of a man. The crash happened on Henry Avenue at the intersection of Dupont Street.
The roadway reopened around 1 p.m. after being closed for approximately four hours as police and fire crews worked to put out the fire and investigated the cause of the crash.
People who live in the neighborhood say they've seen this far too often.
"I knew it was serious with the amount of sirens that I heard this morning, as well as helicopters," said Burke Helzel, who lives nearby.
A serious situation unfolded less than a block away from Helzel's home when a man was killed in a fiery car crash.
"You can tell the difference between cops, ambulances, firefighters, etc. And definitely coming down here it was a justified response looking at the damage that happened," Helzel said.
An viewer witnessed the crashed and tweeted the below video.
Police say that just after 9 a.m., a 62-year-old man driving a silver Chevrolet Malibu rear-ended a Hyundai Tuscon. The impact forced the Tuscon to spin out, cross traffic, hit a guardrail and catch fire.
Police say the driver was trapped in the car and was unable to get out.
"It's a shame. With Christmas just passing, now we're going into a new year, just to hear it happened -- it's a shame," said William Bechtel, who lives nearby.
Police said when they arrived, the speedometer on the Malibu was stuck at 90 miles per hour. Police say it's likely the driver had a medical episode.
The driver's family told police he suffers from seizures.
The crash has some questioning driving on Henry Avenue.
"I don't want to drive anymore. It's scary out there," said Madeline Flynn.
The posted speed limit on the road is 35 miles per hour. However, people in the area say drivers speed there all the time.
