Speeding driver kills bicyclist in Center City Philadelphia

A speeding driver killed a bicyclist on Wednesday night in Center City Philadelphia, according to police.

It happened around 7 p.m. while the cyclist was traveling in a designated bike lane at 18th and Spruce streets.

Police say the 30-year-old woman was thrown about 20 to 30 feet before she hit the ground. She was rushed to an area hospital for injuries to her head.

Witnesses say neighbors and police rushed to help, but she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

"I just remember what I saw and when I closed my eyes, all I see is that moment of a person upside down in the air," said Jessie of Porch, of West Philadelphia, who was riding their bike at the time.

Police say the68-year-old driver in a Volkswagen was speeding down Spruce Street just before the crash. Witnesses say he was driving in the bike lane.

"We heard it go over the pegs that block off the bike line and we thought it was gunshots," said Lee Newswanger, who lives in Rittenhouse Square.

"To see a high-speed collision with a cyclist this is like my deepest fear," added Porch.

Police say the driver continued down Spruce Street, crashing into two unoccupied parked cars.

The force of the impact caused the vehicle to do a 180 coming to rest in the opposite direction. Police said the man was alert at the scene and taken to the hospital.

"They did say he was talkative at the hospital, the elderly gentleman driving the vehicle," DiSanto said.

The woman who died has not been identified. Police are looking to determine what caused the crash and why the driver was speeding on a narrow neighborhood street.

There is no word on the condition of the driver.