Three killed in weekend crashes in Philly

Three people were killed in a pair of crashes over the weekend, and two others, including a police officer, were injured in a collision early Saturday on the Schuylkill Expressway.

Police on Sunday were continuing to investigate the cause of a crash that left two men dead in Mayfair.

At around 11:45 a.m. Saturday, a truck going north on the 6400 block of Frankford Avenue hit a motorcyclist who was turning onto the commercial corner from Passmore Street, authorities said.

The driver of the truck lost control and struck a 62-year-old man who was sitting on a nearby bench, according to police. He died at the scene.

Investigators said the motorcycle rider, also a 62-year-old man, succumbed to his injuries about 45 minutes later at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital.

The 34-year-old man who was behind the wheel of the truck was hospitalized in stable condition.

Later in the day, at around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, a man was driving on the 2000 block of N. 54th Street in Overbrook when he apparently lost control of his car and crashed into multiple parked vehicles, police said.

Medics took him to Lankenau Medical Center, where he died at 2:30 p.m., according to authorities.

A Philadelphia police officer and a driver suspected of DUI were inside a police cruiser just after midnight Saturday on I-76 near the I-676 exit when their cruiser was rear-ended, investigators said.

Both the officer and the civilian were treated at local hospitals for nonlife-threatening injuries. The driver was not hurt, and the crash is still under investigation, a police spokesperson said.

It was at least the third crash in recent weeks involving a law enforcement officer.

State Troopers Branden Sisca and Martin Mack were killed by a speeding driver March 21 on I-95 in South Philadelphia while responding to a report of a man walking on the highway. The pedestrian, Reyes Rivera Oliveras, also died in the crash.

Last Wednesday, a Philadelphia police officer was hospitalized after being hit during a traffic stop on Torresdale Avenue in Tacony.

The drivers in both incidents were arrested for allegedly driving under the influence and are now facing serious charges.