Police say a car hit two sanitation workers who were on the picket line in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood late Thursday night. The workers were part of the AFSCME District Council 33 union strike. Someone is already in jail and has been charged with hit-and-run and driving while impaired.
As of just before 11:30 p.m., Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the accident took place in the 3900 block of North Delaware Avenue.
When the cops arrived, they saw that a 36-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman had been hit by a car. Both patients were taken to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital right away. The male was taken to the hospital for surgery because his situation is so critical. The female is being checked for bumps and bruises and should be fine.
He says that early information shows that the victims were sitting in chairs in front of the trash area when a black Chevrolet SUV drove off the curb and hit them.
The car then ran north on Delaware Avenue, turned around, and drove back south. The car was quickly found by police in the 3000 block of Castor Avenue, and both the driver and the passenger were arrested.
Small says it looked like the driver was drunk, and cops found several alcohol containers in the car, some of which were open and some of which were not. He said that the cops were able to quickly find the car after the accident because they were at the picket line.
The cops are also talking to some sanitation workers who were at the scene and saw what happened. Small said that even though the person was drunk, it is still not clear if the crash was planned. He also said there were rumors that the worker who went on strike was pregnant.
We’re waiting to hear back from DC 33 and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s office.
