Cab jumps curb at Kimmel Center, critically injures 2

Two people - a man and a female bicyclist - are in critical conditon after they were hit by a cab that jumped the curb in front of the Kimmel Center while swerving to avoid another car last night.

The injured man, who was taken to Jefferson University Hospital, reportedly could lose one or both legs after suffering serious fractures.

Police said the red Victory cab was headed southbound on Broad Street about 10 p.m. and swerved to avoid a car changing lanes.

The cab then jumped the curb and hit a lamp post and the bicyclist before spinning back into the street, striking a man crossing the street.

The bicyclist suffered head injuries and was reported in critical condition at Hahnemann University Hospital.

The driver and his passenger also were taken to Hahnemann for treatment of what were described as bumps and bruises.

Those three people were taken to Hahnemann University Hospital and one to Jefferson University Hospital.

Police closed Broad Street for several hours while investigating the accident.

They also are viewing videotapes from surveillance cameras in the area to see if they show what happened.

After the crash, ambulances were delayed by the traffic back-up around the scene.

Both the pedestrian and the bicyclist lay where they fell, police and others clustered around them until the ambulances arrived.

The cabbie and the passenger remained in the smashed up vehicle, which came to stop sideway in Broad Street, talking to police officers through the windows.

Police in the meantime have not reported if they have made an arrest in a hit-and-run in which a cab struck and seriously injured a 29-year-old bicyclist on June 16 on Broad Street near Federal Street.

Amanda Gillern suffered a punctured lung, pelvis fracture and broken neck, leg and ribs.

She was released yesterday from Thomas Jefferson Hospital with her leg in a cast and wearing a restrictive brace to immobilize her neck for three months, said Stuart Leon, a friend.