Crime & Safety

Teen Pedestrian Hospitalized After Wynnewood Road Accident

Officials say she was crossing the street about 5:40 p.m. Thursday.

(UPDATED Monday, Dec. 17: The victim remains hospitalized with head injuries and a broken pelvis, according to Lower Merion Township spokesman Tom Walsh.)

Friday, Dec. 14: A 16-year-old girl was struck by a car while crossing Wynnewood Road on foot Thursday evening, and she remained hospitalized as of Friday afternoon, Lower Merion Township spokesman Tom Walsh said.

The accident happened about 5:40 p.m. at the intersection of East Wynnewood Road and North Wynnewood Avenue. The unidentified girl, clad in dark clothing, had just walked from the Narberth side of the tunnel under the Amtrak-SEPTA railroad tracks, and she was crossing to the Wynnewood side of East Wynnewood Road, Walsh said.

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An eastbound vehicle driven by an unidentified Philadelphia resident struck the girl, who suffered head and torso trauma and was taken by Narberth Ambulance to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Walsh said. She was most recently listed in stable condition.

Police continue to investigate the accident. There has been no indication the driver was speeding or had consumed drugs or alcohol. The driver stopped and tried to help the victim, Walsh said.

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Merion Station resident and Narberth attorney Pam Loughman posted a petition at Change.org for a traffic signal to be installed at the intersection, where the borough of Narberth and Lower Merion's Wynnewood section meet.

On the petition, Loughman writes: "Installing a traffic light and pedestrian crossing at this intersection is a matter of public safety."

At several Narberth Borough Council meetings this year, residents have pressed for a traffic signal to be installed at the intersection.

Borough officials have contemplated that prospect as repairs and reconstruction of the Narberth Avenue bridge loom over the next several years. Lower Merion Commissioner Brian Gordon attended a borough meeting in the fall to discuss traffic issues at that intersection.

It is not clear whether one municipality or both would need to be involved in construction, nor to what extent either is prepared to pursue such a project.

What do you think? Should a traffic signal be installed at Wynnewood and Wynnewood? Is there a way to improve traffic and pedestrian safety without one? Tell us in the comments section below.


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