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E-bike rider pinned under car rescued by bystanders in Delco
A woman riding an e-bike was pinned under a car Monday morning in Prospect Park, Delaware County. Police and bystanders lifted the car to free her. Watch.
PROSPECT PARK, Pa. - A group of bystanders and police are credited with saving a woman's life after she crashed her e-bike and became pinned under a Volkswagen Beetle on a busy stretch of Route 420 in Prospect Park, according to local authorities.
The crash happened Monday morning, with witnesses and police officers rushing to lift the heavy car and pull the injured woman free.
E-bike rider pinned as strangers spring into action
Prospect Park Police Chief Dave Madonna said the 44-year-old Ridley Park woman was riding her e-bike at an estimated 20 plus miles an hour without a helmet before she collided with the car at an intersection.
"She was driving way too fast for that time of day, for the road she was traveling on and as I said she was trying to overtake vehicles to get to an appointment," said Madonna.
Video from the police body cam shows officers and about six bystanders moving quickly to help.
"Got a yell to help ran over. We lifted the Volkswagen Beetle up pulled the girls out and pushed her to the ground so she wouldn’t move that’s all," said FedEx driver Carl Wise. "I’m no hero. I’m just a guy doing a job, that’s all."
Chrissy Vollmer, who runs a local sign shop, was one of those who responded. "All I saw were the lady’s legs underneath the car and she was just yelling get this car off of me," said Vollmer.
Safety concerns rise along busy road
Local perspective:
Business owners in the area say this is not the first time they have seen an e-bike involved in a crash on this stretch of Route 420.
"I see it all day long I see the bikes all day long. It wasn’t the first time I seen someone get hit by a car on a bike here," said Vollmer.
Chief Madonna called all the bystanders who stopped to help "heroes" and visited to thank them after the incident. Madonna expressed concern about the increase in e-bike crashes, saying, "How many more tragedies do we have to see before some type of action is taken."
What's next:
The woman remains at Lankanau Hospital after undergoing surgery for a broken collarbone and other injuries, according to the report. The Volkswagen driver will not be charged. Police say depending on the results of their investigation, the e-bike rider may face a traffic citation.
What we don't know:
Police have not released the identity of the woman injured in the crash. It is not yet clear if new regulations or safety measures will be introduced following this incident. The final outcome of the police investigation into the e-bike rider’s actions is still pending.
The Source: Information from body cam video, and interviews with Prospect Park Police and local business owners.