Mother and Son Killed, 3 Hurt After SUV Goes Airborne on Boulevard

A Mother and her son were killed while a girl, teen boy and man are fighting for their lives after a speeding SUV struck several poles and went airborne on Roosevelt Boulevard before landing on two other vehicles that were stopped at a red light early Saturday morning. 

Police said a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe with five people inside was traveling at a high speed in the outer southbound lanes of the Boulevard at Adams and Whitaker avenues around 12:10 a.m. in Northeast Philadelphia when the driver lost control.

The vehicle struck a curb and went airborne, flying 15 to 20 feet in the air before landing on a Lexus and Honda that were stopped at a red light.

Two people inside the Tahoe were ejected, one person was partially ejected and two others remained inside the SUV during the crash. 

Two passengers, 34-year-old Amber Shanta Brown and her son, 11-year-old Tai'Rhey Brown, were pronounced dead at the scene at 12:26 a.m.

Two other passengers, a 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, were both taken to St. Christopher's Hospital where they are both in critical condition.

The driver, a 57-year-old man, was taken to the Einstein Medical Center where he is also in critical condition.

Both a driver and passenger who were inside the Lexus were taken to Einstein and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver who was inside the Honda was not hurt.

Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace told NBC10 the crash was so severe that police had difficulty identifying the victims. 

“The severity of the accident is such that we’re unable to determine at this time who was actually driving the vehicle,” Inspector Pace said Saturday morning. 

A large metal traffic sign above Adams and Whitaker avenues on the Boulevard was dislodged during the crash. The Boulevard was closed at the scene of the crash for hours as PennDOT crews made repairs. A stretch of Whitaker Avenue remained closed Saturday morning.