Philadelphia Police: 1 Dead, 1 In Extremely Critical Condition After Two-Car Crash On Roosevelt Boulevard
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A 23-year-old woman is dead and another person is in extremely critical condition after two cars collided on Roosevelt Boulevard. The crash happened around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and caused Roosevelt Boulevard, near Grant Avenue, to be shut down for hours.
Authorities say both cars were traveling north on Roosevelt Boulevard when the crash happened.
According to police, a 39-year-old male driver rear-ended Lisherrah Rankins' vehicle, which then appeared to have slammed into a tree before catching fire.
Lisherrah Rankins, an Army veteran, was pronounced dead at the scene.
"One of the vehicles -- the striking vehicle -- was traveling at a high rate of speed, according to witnesses. Vehicle number two was rear-ended and appears to have struck a tree, the operator of that vehicle was pronounced at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was transported to the hospital and is in extremely critical condition," Philadelphia Police Capt. Thomas Davidson said.
According to police, there were 96 fatal crashes in Philadelphia in 2018 -- 21% of them happening on Roosevelt Boulevard.
The city planned to install speed cameras along Roosevelt Boulevard by the end of 2019 to prevent tragedies like the accident on Sunday.
But the city says it's been delayed until spring.
