Man driving ATV dies in crash in North Philadelphia on Broad Street after striking car, police say
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A 35-year-old man driving an ATV died in a crash in North Philadelphia on Broad Street on Thursday night, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
The incident happened at the intersection of Broad and Westmoreland streets at around 8:30 p.m., which is just near Temple University Hospital.
Small said the 35-year-old man driving the ATV was with two other people who were "driving recklessly" and doing "wheelies" on Broad Street before the crash.
The man was driving south on Broad Street and struck the passenger side door of a gray Subaru driven by a 65-year-old woman, according to Small. The woman was making a left turn from Broad Street to Westmoreland when the ATV rider struck her vehicle.
Small said the ATV driver was thrown from the vehicle after striking the Subaru. He was taken to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead at 8:55 p.m.
The Subaru driver remained on the scene but was shaken up following the incident, according to Small.
Before the crash, Small said Temple cameras recorded the ATV rider traveling at a high rate of speed southbound on Broad Street.
Small said the ATV the man was driving wasn't "street legal" and didn't have a license plate or registration.
Police later identified the driver as Michael Anthony Pembleton of East Mount Airy.
Since Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker took office, her adminstration has made it a priority to confiscate illegal ATVs and dirt bikes across the city.
"It's very, very dangerous to be driving a dirt bike or these quad ATVs — that are not registered, that are not street legal — on the streets of Philadelphia, especially oftentimes they're driving them recklessly," Small said. "They're driving them at a high rate of speed, sometimes they're doing wheelies, sometimes they're doing donuts — in the wrong lane — so it's very, very dangerous and the police are cracking down ... Every time the weather gets warm, you see more and more of these ATVs, quads, dirt bikes, and they do operate recklessly, and tragically every year, we have accidents that result in either very serious injuries or fatal auto accidents."
