A 64-year-old woman out for a morning jog was struck and killed by a SEPTA Route 13 trolley in West Philadelphia on Monday morning, November 2, in a collision that shut down trolley service through the neighbourhood for hours and has left investigators trying to establish exactly how the crash happened.
Philadelphia police said the collision happened at about 9:10 a.m. on Monday at the intersection of South 45th Street and Chester Avenue, near Clark Park. The woman was jogging southbound on 45th Street when an eastbound Route 13 trolley travelling along Chester Avenue struck her in the intersection, police said. She was trapped under the trolley and was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:28 a.m.
Police identified the woman on Monday afternoon as Samuber Shikhverdieva, 64. No further details about her were released by authorities. A dozen or more riders were on board the trolley when it struck her, according to NBC10 Philadelphia, and SEPTA said there were no injuries reported to riders or employees.
"Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the person who lost their life as we investigate this tragic accident," SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said in a statement. "SEPTA has also made services available for the trolley operator."
Service halted, shuttle buses brought in
The crash forced SEPTA to suspend Route 13 trolley service through the area for the rest of the morning. Trolleys were diverted via Woodland Avenue in both directions, and shuttle buses were requested to run from the 40th Street Portal to 49th Street and Woodland Avenue, SEPTA said in service alerts, warning riders to expect delays and crowded conditions. The scene was cleared shortly after noon, and trolleys resumed normal operations with some residual delays, the agency said.
Route 13 is one of SEPTA's street-running trolley lines: its cars share the road with traffic, cyclists and pedestrians along Chester Avenue through West and Southwest Philadelphia, running between Center City and Yeadon in Delaware County. The 45th and Chester intersection sits beside Clark Park, a busy neighbourhood park, in a dense residential area where trolleys, cars and people on foot all cross paths at street level.
Investigation under way, no fault finding yet
The crash investigation is being carried out jointly by the Philadelphia Police Department and SEPTA's System Safety Division, the agency said. As of Monday, police had announced no charges and no determination of fault, and officials had not said what the woman or the trolley operator may have seen or done in the moments before the collision, whether the trolley sounded a warning, or what any signal or camera evidence shows. Those are among the questions investigators are expected to answer as the inquiry continues.
Route 13 service returned to normal on Monday afternoon, with residual delays. The intersection at 45th Street and Chester Avenue has reopened. No charges have been filed, and police say the investigation is active — anyone who witnessed the collision on Monday morning is asked to contact Philadelphia police.
Pedestrian deaths involving street-running trolleys are rare but not unknown in Philadelphia, whose trolley network is one of the oldest in the United States and operates in live traffic for much of its length. For the Punjabi and South Asian families who live across West and Southwest Philadelphia and rely on SEPTA for work, school and temple trips, the Route 13 line is a daily link to Center City — and Monday's death is a reminder of how quickly a routine morning can turn fatal at a shared street crossing.
What happens next: investigators will review the circumstances of the collision, including any available video and the trolley's own records, before deciding whether any charges or safety changes follow. Police have not given a timeline for the investigation. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if officials release further findings.