Police: Father fatally hit after saving son
Aug 30, 2012, 5:45 PM
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A father pushed his 5-year-old son out of harm’s way just before he was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver on a heavily traveled thoroughfare that has become notorious for deadly pedestrian accidents.
Michael Romano who died at the scene of the crash shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday, managed to push his son to safety before impact. The driver fled but was pulled over about three blocks away by an off-duty police officer who witnessed the crash, authorities said.
Police identified the driver as Roderick Williams, 22, of Philadelphia. He was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and related offenses; it could not immediately be determined if he had a lawyer.
Romano’s son, whose name was not released by police, was treated for minor injuries at a hospital and discharged.
The 43-year-old father and his son were about two miles from their northeast Philadelphia home when the crash occurred on Roosevelt Boulevard. Some city officials have been calling for more marked pedestrian crosswalks along the busy 12-lane divided roadway.
It marked the second hit-and-run death on the same stretch of roadway in a week. A man was killed around 2 a.m. Sunday while crossing about a half mile from where Wednesday’s crash occurred. The victim’s name has not been released and the driver has not been found.
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