Ranked as the sixth largest city in the nation in terms of population, Philadelphia is home to thousands of miles of streets, avenues, alleys, boulevards, and other dangerous roads. Philadelphia is a popular area for serious car accidents. Originally planned by William Penn, Philadelphia lies between the Schuykill and Delaware Rivers. These waterways provided the first arteries for local commerce.
Today, though many boats still traverse the waters of these rivers, commerce mainly flows on the roadbeds of the Interstate 95 (Delaware Expressway) and Interstate 76 (Schuykill Expressway). Another important artery for the economy is the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which borders the city limits on the north and western flanks. Many Philadelphia car accidents occur on these roads.
U.S. Route 1 enters Philadelphia on its southern most side by the Brandywine Valley in Chester County and runs south to north all the way to the Trenton, NJ toll bridge. Along the way, Route 1 transitions from a rural road to an expressway, to eventually the ultra congested Roosevelt Boulevard, where far too many car accidents take place each year.
Two airports serve an important commercial center such as Philadelphia: Philadelphia International Airport and the Northeast Airport. The international airport can be accessed via Interstate 95 and numerous other South Philadelphia streets and avenues. This busy airport and the arteries that feed passenger traffic to and from it are busy and see a lot of car accidents each year due to drivers using excessive speed and motorists who are unfamiliar with the area trying to make turns and exit at the right places.
There are thousands of motorists (students, business people, tourists, etc.) driving in and out of Philadelphia every day. Many use the Schuykill expressway, which is accessed from the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the Valley Forge interchange. That particular section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is very dangerous due to the convergence of so many heavily traveled roads, namely U.S. Route 202 and Pennsylvania Routes 252 and 422, which feed Interstate 76 (the Schuykill Expressway) eastbound into Philadelphia.
Interstate 76 is old, only two lanes-wide in either direction, and congested with cars and truck traffic. These factors combine to create an area highly susceptible to car accidents, especially during rush hour drive times.
Approaching the city from the east, Philadelphia is visited by thousands of motorists coming in from New Jersey. These people come across on New Jersey Routes 38 and 70 traveling east onto the Ben Franklin Bridge; others take the Betsy Ross Bridge from New Jersey Route 90. Those in route to northeast Philly take the Tacony Palmyra Bridge off of Route 73 in New Jersey. On the south side of Philadelphia, drivers enter the city via the Walt Whitman Bridge, which drivers may reach from the Atlantic City Expressway, New Jersey Routes 42 and 55 and Interstate 295.
All of the bridges, except the Tacony Palmyra, can accommodate at least three lanes of traffic in either direction. The Tacony Palmyra is limited to two very narrow lanes in each direction. Adding to the dangers of this bridge and causing traffic back-ups are the periodic openings for boat traffic on the Delaware River. A vast number of people commute into Philadelphia every day using these bridges. They often drive too fast, execute unsafe lane changes, and use cell phones while driving, creating an environment ripe for car accidents.
Philadelphia, PA car accident lawyer, Michael L. Saile, Jr., Esq., of Saile & Saile LLP, is experienced in handling personal injury cases resulting from car accidents. If you are injured in a Philadelphia, PA car accident, contact our office for a free consultation.
We represent car accident victims throughout Philadelphia, including:
