Nurse Killed Crossing Philadelphia Street

A woman dashing across a Philadelphia street January 11 was struck by a car – and then run over by at least one other vehicle.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

In 2011, pedestrian-related crashes represented 3.6 percent of all reported traffic crashes in Pennsylvania. That year, 149 pedestrians were killed.

Following is an account of the fatal pedestrian accident from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

A woman attempting to run across Penrose Avenue in South Philadelphia was hit by a car, then run over by at least one more vehicle, in light rain about 5:30 PM Friday, police said.

Maria Mercer, 42, of Olney, was a nurse at Catch Inc., a community mental health center. Police said she was scheduled to work through midnight and took a break to go to a cash machine at a nearby gas station.

Accident investigators said she was struck initially near the intersection of Penrose and Pattison Avenue, then fell into the path of another vehicle that could not stop.

The driver of the first car stopped immediately, investigators told the paper, and is not expected to face any criminal charges.

Crashes involving pedestrians accounted for 11.6 percent all Pennsylvania car accident deaths in 2011.

Most of these incidents occurred while pedestrians were crossing the street at an intersection.