Runaway SEPTA trolley slams into historic home in Southwest Philadelphia

By Web staff

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    PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — A runaway SEPTA trolley crashed into a historic home in Southwest Philadelphia on Thursday night.

“About 40-50 mph. You would think that this was a scene straight out of Will Smith’s movie,” one person who witnessed the crash said.

Officials said the trolley was out of service when it crashed at about 10:45 p.m. near Island and Woodland avenues. There was a mechanic onboard, but no one was behind the controls at the time, according to SEPTA Chief Operating Officer Scott Sauer.

The trolley was coming from the SEPTA Elmwood Depot, about half a mile away from the home.

Officials said the trolley derailed, struck an SUV, injuring the two people inside, and then slammed into the historic home.

The woman living inside the house called 911. SEPTA officials said she was not injured.

The mechanic on board did suffer injuries but is expected to be OK.

“I’ve been SEPTA 33 years and I spent a good portion of my career working on these trolleys and I cannot recall an incident like this,” Sauer said.

The trolley is just about twice as long as the historic home it crashed into.

The house, known as the Blue Bell Tavern, is owned by the city and dates back to 1766. It was the location of a battle during the Revolutionary War, according to the Darby Creek Valley Association.

The oldest section of the structure still stands and was also a main stagecoach road between Philadelphia and the southern colonies. The building was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1958.

“The tenants living in the historic home are safely in temporary accommodations. Our staff and partners are working to support them through this difficult time,” the city’s Parks and Recreation Department said in a statement.

SEPTA is now working to get to the bottom of what went wrong.

“Our trolleys, particularly those in the city travel at street speeds, relatively low speeds, making frequent stops. They’re built very sturdy…about 40-year-old cars that have been very durable and reliable,” Sauer said.

Thursday night’s trolley crash is the 5th SEPTA crash in less than a week.

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