For those who don't know, a car hit atleast 8 cars, most likely many more, before crashing at 2nd and Wildey around 11 tonight. Whatever the cause of the accident, I have felt for sometime now that a stop sign should be installed on 2nd street at the Wildey intersection. Cars drive really fast crossing over Girard, making getting out parking spots on 2nd street a bit uneasy, and turning onto 2nd street at Wildey is a blind turn. These factors and in the increase in shops opening across liberties walk [more people] make it a bit unsafe. Hopefully no one was hurt tonight, and maybe if a stop sign is there, traffic would slow down a bit. Those are my thoughts, I wanted to put this idea out there to see what others thought about it, and whether or not they agreed. Thanks.

He actually hit 17 cars and the collision started at Germantown where he apparently hit one or two cars on the left side of the road, one of which slammed in to the fence there, then hitting the moving vehicle to his right and continued sliding all the way down the road coming to a stop after hitting three cars after Wildey. His front passenger side wheel was lodged beneath a car just past Ferdinand and his door skin was seen between two cars just past that.
Looking forward to seeing some pictures posted online. Did anyone get a shot of how he BARELY hit the Jeep once he came to a stop? Best of luck to those involved in the collision.

did they get the guy who did it?

it's just too friggin' crazy around here anymore.

Maybe he was trying to impress the valet parking attendants at Cescaphe?

I completely agree that a stop sign and crosswalk is needed at 2nd and Wildey. How would we go about having one installed? With the increased pedestrian activity between two large Tower developments, it seems like something they should be pursuing.

Another reason that turning from Wildey is so dangerous is because cars are almost always parked in that bus loading zone. If that was inforced and no one parked there it would make it much easier to see while turing onto second.

But I totally agree that we need a stop sign as well. Its a gamble every time you turn. Any word on the driver?

No one seemed hurt. I was at Deuce when this happened so I went out to watch with everyone else. The driver (looked drunk or high) tried to walk away (with a limp) from the scene, but the cops got him. He looked to be in his 20's. The driver of the white WRX was ok, just shaken up. The driver of the car in the fence was trapped but not injured.

Can someone chime in about the process to get a stop sign added on 2nd St.?

Photos please. I didn't have my camera.

well, there is still a lot of carnage out there...saw the door and the front axel from supposed perp. they must of been flying to have that much moment.

The owners of the subaru that is half up on the side walk seemed to think it hbappened early morning - like 5am. they said they heard a huge crash.

I agree that the turn from wildley onto 2nd is a complete blind spot..my wife makes that turn every morning. somethng needs to be done there and also in general about the speed of cars racing down 2nd.

People get a kick out of putting thier foot down...unfortunatley its an imature and dangerous habit.

MAYBE we should set up a citizens road block abd ask for papers please.

Hopefully everyones insurance will cover the cost and in the end it will only be an inconvienience and not a financial burden. I hope they caught the perp...especially if they were dui.

I did see someone out there with a camera around 11:20ish. When I woke up this morning I almost thought it was a bad dream. Whoa.
My fiance was one of the lucky ones... his car was on the left side of the street a few cars north of where the high/drunk driver ended his crash-fest.
What kind of consequences does this dude face now? Fines? Jail time? Obvioulsy, his liscense get suspended.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/News_photos_Smashed_cars_in_Northern_Liberties.html

Here's the article from the paper. I agree we need to get more stop signs or a light on that road.
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/News_photos_Smashed_cars_in_Northern_Liberties.html

Found this on the Streets Dept. FAQ:

2. Who can I contact for an All-Way Stop sign?

Please write to the Chief Traffic Engineer in the Streets Department. Your request will be acknowledged and a study will commence. We are obligated by the results of the study.


http://www.phila.gov/streets/traffic_faq.html

The text & photos from the Philly.com article

################################

News photos: Smashed cars in Northern Liberties
By Peter Mucha

Inquirer Staff Writer

Northern Liberties was the scene of extensive car carnage last night, as an out-of-control driver swiped about 20 vehicles along Second Street, according to area residents.

This morning, Anthony Roselli, 27, a medical resident at Temple University Hospital, was one of more than a dozen people checking out the damage and waiting for police.

His crumpled ’99 Subaru Outback had been pushed up on the sidewalk. The driver’s side was smashed, tires were coming off the rims, and somehow both the front and back ends were dented badly, too.

“It’s pretty bad. Yeah,” he said. At least his insurance is paid up, and his deductible is only $250. He’ll have to take a cab to work and have the wreck towed to a body shop, he said.

Joe Friend, 31, ad operations manager for philly.com who lives nearby, heard the accident and took the photographs below.

There need to be stop signs all over 2nd St. It's basically a one vehicle drag strip. There's a motorcycle accident like every day.

The same thing happened to me on 5th street last week!! My car is completely totaled. Unfortunately is was a hit and run:( Stop signs really need to be placed on both 5th and 2nd streets. It can be really dangerous.

This is tragic. Sadly, I've been at many a meeting where residents plead with representatives (Councilman Clarke, DiCicco, etc) about slowing traffic on 2nd St between Girard and Poplar. It used to be worse when there was only a stop sign at Poplar. Drivers are real a-holes, let me tell you.

Anyway, I like the idea of a neighborhood protest shutting down 2nd Street. We should demand stop signs at Wildey and Laurel at a minimum, if not traffic lights. We should also ask for a permanent cross walk to be installed from the east side of 2nd Street to Liberties Walk, with a stop sign, to facilitate crossing into Liberties Walk. Then, we should demand a plain clothes officer sit at Deuce all day and radio license plates to a cop further down 2nd Street to ticket every a-hole who will inevitably blow right through it. And they should be enforcing the no parking zones in bus lanes at Laurel and Wildey. 2nd Street is no worse than the Wild Wild West.

Last night, I was walking back from the Standard Tap and saw this. Yikes! I feel really bad for the people who's cars are destroyed. I agree, there should be at least one more stop sign on 2nd street.

For anyone that requires them for insurance purposes, I have a lot of pics of the damage - just pop me an email with the make/model of your car. My count was 18 cars damaged, but I might've missed a few with minor scrapes. Thanks.

PUT SPEED BUMPS ON 2ND AND 5TH STREET BETWEEN GIRARD AND POPLAR ALREADY.

If you fought for this, it would be there!!!!

Agreed. Stop signs are seriously needed on 2nd street and on 5th. Another area that is in DIRE need of a all way stop sign is 3rd and Green (accidents occur there weekly) and 4th and Green...

A little more info from Philly.com

########################

The accident unfolded (as body panels folded) when a maroon Buick LaSabre sped south on Second Street, according to doctoral student Michelle Renee Chyatte, 32, a former freelance reporter, who talked with witnesses and police at the scene last night.

Mark Righter, a worker at George’s Pizza at Second and Girard, told her he’d never seen a car go through the intersection so fast.

The accidents began at Second and George, when the LaSabre struck a car trying to make a turn and spinning it into a fence. The driver, dazed or trapped, didn't get out for about 20 minutes until after the police assisted, she said.

The LaSabre apparently then started sideswiping cars along the street, as its driver, instead of stopping, kept driving, perhaps trying to get away. At one point, he tried to flee on foot, but was apprehended by police, before being taken to a hospital for treatment, police told her, she said.

Police in the 26th District this morning could not confirm any details, saying the necessary paperwork had not yet been filed.

Wait - are we absolutely 100% SURE that this happened in Northern Liberties?

I hate biking up or down 2nd Street. People drive as fast as they possibly can with no regard to bikers or pedestrians.

Girard Ave and 2nd Street are a nightmare.

More Stop Sign discussion here.

I live on Wildey. I stopped pulling out at 2nd and Wildey on my way to work because it is a horrible blind turn (made much worse by the *******s who park in the bus loading and turn area spot on the corner there). People are always going way too fast. Some neighborhood members did fight hard for the stop sign at the Tap - at 2nd and Poplar -- and eventually -- it happened.. so maybe a stop sign at Wildey and 2nd is possible? It is needed.. and so are some stop signs on 5th. 2nd and 5th are esentially used as freeways to and from downtown and the North Philly area.
I cannot imagine the guy driving that car had enough insurance (if any at all) to cover the damage he caused. If the drivers don't have under-insured motorist protection on their polices then I see many long court battles ahead for people trying to recover their losses.

ps - you can call 911 and report people who are parked in that bus zone/turn zone area at 2nd and Wildey (the huge "X" on the corner)-- and they will send someone out to ticket the car. I have done this on many occasions.

Let's just get stops put on all the corners!

We do not need stops @ 3rd & Green or 4th and Green. There are already stops on Green. If the people pulling onto 3rd and 4th from Green would obey their stop signs there would be no problem. The problem occurs when drivers assume that those stops are all way and they are not.

My (very informal) survey leads me to believe that stretch of 2nd from Girard to Poplar is one of the longest stretches of roadway without any traffic control in the area. It only encourages people to race along. (and if they catch the lights right above Girard, they could be racing from Jefferson, Master, Thompson...at least four blocks and potentially six, seven, more?)

The dynamics of the recently reopened crossing of Germantown Ave at an angle, plus the hard to see unless you already know it's there entrance to George St. make that section a driving adventure. Add in lots more pedistrians now, outdoor diners right along the roadway at Deuce, etc. and we're just a tragedy waiting to happen.

Unfortuantely, like so many other things in this city, it'll probably take that tragedy for anyone in the city government to get off their asses and do something about it!

Stop Sign Blasts from the past:

This thread from 2005 contains a post from Matt detailing the efforts to get something done about 2nd and Poplar.

Contacting the Streets Department is easy!

2005: "Right now, the NLNA is finishing up a Master Plan for the neighborhood which includes requesting several new stop signs (and legalizing some of the existing favorites)."

Stop Signs go missing in 2006.

Ten things I'd like to see in NL.

****... I know the person who caused the accident. He didn't suffer any serious injuries.

Avoid sarcastic comment.

I wonder if it was the same idiot who crashed into two cars at 5th and Olive last month. He was also drunk and tried to leave the scene.

Lemme guess, LC, "peeps drive fast in the city, **** goes down"? What the hell was the guy doing?

I just don't have 3rd&Brown's restraint.

I have heard some police comments that this guy was high on PCP. I can't verify the validity but it sure adds up.

neighbor,

There is absolutely no reason not to have stop signs or traffic lights on 2nd Street.

If you want to drive like a maniac, please refrain from doing it on a road heavily trafficked by pedestrians and bikers. 2nd Street is not a highway.

Way to F up the Quizzo game at Deuce, dude. Sore loser...

Was anyone injured?
There looked to be at least $100,000 worth of damage last night. I still cannot believe one jackass could do all this damage.

Its pretty funny actually.

LC, you are a complete idiot.

"peeps drive fast in the city, **** goes down"

Actually I would say something more like

"Dont park your ****in car on 2nd street, you idiots!"

So Douche, go clean some dirty v agina and leave the jokes to someone who is funnier.

The damage done isn't funny, the fact that the guy can **** up so bad and so massively is whats funny. But I'm glad no one was seriously injured.

I am, LC, I'm trying to clean you up ya pu$$y

LC,

You are a complete effin idiot and all of your posts on this board are just nails into your karma coffin. Cheesesteak isn't the douche...you are.

Does anyone know what happened to Days of Thunder on PCP? Is he in jail for a long time or out driving again?

....was he near Azure last night?

My car was involved in the accident. Luckily, it was nowhere near as damaged as some of the others (I feel bad for those whose cars are wrecked). The police told me that they caught the driver and he is currently in jail (There is a police report at the 16th district. His insurance is going to suck for the rest of his life, paying for almost 20 cars). Someone made mention that he had an illegal gun on him, but I don't know the validity of that. Has anyone else heard that?

Sadly, this is the second incident with my car in two months. I parked behind Hancock Square (I know, its not lit and I was just asking for trouble) and some idiots tried stealing my car (I say idiots because they only succeeded in breaking my steering column and ignition. I was able to finish their job and start my car in a few seconds when I found it busted the next morning. Sorry, venting...)

I was driving down 5th St to work this morning and noticed a parked Honda that looked like it must have opened it's door at the wrong time and had it knocked off...
Be careful out there.

Two accidents in two nights... Vigilante Stop Signs

Sorta unrelated, but related...

We need a left turn arrow at 2nd and Girard... for when you need to make that left off Girard onto 2nd.

Speed bumps, I think that is all we would need. 2nd street is a racing track for many, all the way from Berks to the next light down and then from Girard to Poplar, I have seen them actually having a guy giving the start sign and there they go....

Speed bumps would definitely help - it is awful to pull out blindly onto 2nd St. (because you absolutely can't see with all the parked cars) and just pray that no-one is whipping down the street.

Stop getting emotional you pu ssy.

Actually Douche the more appropriate phrase would be to call me a "dick". You are more of the pu ssy type, scared, cowardly, using the internet to attack other people's character.

Anyone else feel like calling out LC on his hypocritical BS or would that be feeding the troll that lives in his mama's basement and as CC pointed out steals money out of her purse?

/just sayin