Three people, including two Pennsylvania troopers, were killed early Monday when a car slammed into them on an interstate in south Philadelphia, officials said.
The troopers and the civilian were hit about 12:40 a.m. on Interstate 95 South, the Pennsylvania State Police said in a Twitter post.
The troopers were trying to get the man who was walking on I-95 into their patrol SUV, state police said, according to NBC Philadelphia. A driver attempted to use the shoulder of the highway to get around the scene and struck all three of them, the news station reported. The impact sent them into the northbound lanes of I-95, police told NBC Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf addressed the deaths in a tweet, saying he and his wife were praying for the victims’ loved ones.
“Frances and I are deeply saddened by the loss of these two troopers and the individual they were assisting,” he said. ” … This tragedy is a reminder that our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect us and our communities.”
It was not clear if the driver, who stayed on the scene, was going to be charged in connection with the crash.
I-95, which was shut down in both directions between Broad Street and the Walt Whitman Bridge for hours, has reopened.
No other information, including the names of the victims, was immediately available.