LOWER MERION TWP., Pa. – Phil Galluccio took pictures of first responders helping the driver of a pick-up truck involved in a three-vehicle crash along Montgomery Avenue, just past Woodside Road, Monday morning in Lower Merion Township.
What they’re saying:
“They were resuscitating him, CPR, for about 10 minutes that I saw, more responders, I mean it was full on,” he says. “That is a major problem, I’ve been here over 30 years.”
Lower Merion Township Police say while the crash is still under investigation, it was not a result of speeding.Â
Still, for Galluccio, and others in the community, it has reignited on-going concerns about Montgomery Avenue, specifically the stretch after it intersects with Woodside Road, where there is a slight curve in the roadway, and a speed limit of 35 miles per hour.
Employees at Pennsylvania Tire and Auto, which is at the corner of Montgomery and Woodside, say speeding has been an issue for years, prompting Lower Merion Police to often sit in their lot to monitor.
“It’s posted 35 miles per hour up the street where the accident happened, 25 out front, on average you’ll probably see 50-60 miles per hour from everybody,” says Bram Pote, an employee at Pennsylvania Tire and Auto.
Staff there also have concerns about drivers cutting through their lot to avoid the light.
“Every day we have to be pretty cautious with walking out to cars with the way people cut through the lots,” says Brian Dicesare, an employee at Pennsylvania Tire and Auto. “Weekly we have accidents here, people trying to run this light, or turning on red over here.”
According to township data, of the 68 serious injuries in crashes in the township between 2019 and 2023, eight were along Montgomery Avenue.
About four months ago, a township resident started a Change.org petition calling for safety improvements along Montgomery Avenue.
What’s next:
A township spokesperson tells FOX 29, a new traffic study, the Montgomery Avenue Corridor Safety Study, will begin this fall, aimed to come up with findings and recommendations for both Lower Merion Township and Narberth Borough.
Bob Stauffer, who lives right next to where the crash happened, says he’s witnessed two other serious crashes on Montgomery Avenue in just the last two years.
He’s hoping something can change.
“It’s tough here, they want to get from the Cricket Club to the next light here and zoom through the red light, it’s one of those deals where if I’m the last guy at the red light, I’m going through, and that’s the way it goes.”
Following the study, the township says they will review the findings and decide what the next steps will be.