The 48-year-old mail carrier was struck while standing behind his postal vehicle and remained hospitalized in critical condition.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A 48-year-old U.S. Postal Service worker lost a leg and remained in critical condition after a car struck him while he was collecting mail behind his parked postal vehicle in Northeast Philadelphia, according to police and local reporting.
The crash happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the Holmesburg section of the city, near Ashburner and Walker streets. Police said the postal worker was standing behind his vehicle gathering mail when a westbound car struck him. The collision left him with severe injuries and prompted an investigation by the Philadelphia Police Department’s Crash Investigation Division.
Police said the vehicle continued forward after hitting the worker and then struck the postal vehicle. NBC10 Philadelphia reported that the impact pushed the mail vehicle onto a sidewalk and into a fence. WPVI reported that the striking vehicle was a silver Honda sedan and that surveillance video captured the crash.
The worker was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in critical condition. Police initially described his injuries as a severe leg injury and facial injuries. WPVI later reported, citing sources familiar with the case, that the worker had lost a leg. Authorities had not publicly identified the postal worker as of the latest reports reviewed Saturday.
The driver remained at the scene and was cooperating with investigators, police said. No arrest had been made and no charges had been filed in connection with the crash as of the latest available reports. Police had not announced what caused the driver to strike the postal worker, and investigators had not released a finding on whether speed, distraction or another factor played a role.
People who knew the mail carrier described him to WPVI as a familiar presence on his regular route. Anthony Perez, who said he knew the worker from deliveries to a nearby store, described him as someone who went out of his way to help people. Alexander Urbina of Holmesburg Auto also remembered the carrier as friendly and regularly smiling when he visited the business.
Urbina told WPVI that the driver had just left the dealership after picking up a friend’s vehicle before the crash. Police had not publicly confirmed that detail or indicated that it explained how the collision occurred. Investigators were continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The case remained under investigation Saturday by the Philadelphia Police Department’s Crash Investigation Division. Authorities had not announced charges, identified the injured postal worker or released additional information about his condition beyond reports that he remained critically injured.
Author note: Last updated September 5, 2026.