Astride Noel, a long-time employee at High Point Cafe on Carpenter Lane in West Mt. Airy, was seriously injured in a car crash at the intersection of Lincoln Drive and Carpenter Lane on Monday morning.

According to the founder and general manager of the cafe Meg Hagele, who arrived on the scene shortly after the crash, Noel was alone when she was hit broadside on the driver’s side of her car.

“Luckily, she was strapped in and her airbag worked, so she doesn’t seem to have any head trauma,” said Hagele. “But she almost certainly has a broken hip and will need a lot of recovery. She was in a lot of pain.”

The cafe has set up a GoFundMe page (https://gofund.me/acb3ac56) to try and help raise money for Noel, a single young mother of two girls, aged three and four, who grew up in Mt. Airy and now lives in Germantown. 

“Please donate what you can. We love her, and want to support her on her journey to bring her smiling face back to our shops,” announced the cafe’s Facebook post. “She has months of challenges ahead of her and we are hoping for a full recovery, but know that she will need support.”

“She’s been an amazing part of our high point team for decades,” said Hagerle. “Astride is just a huge, huge part of our community.”

Ann Dicker, the leader of the West Mt. Airy Neighbors’ traffic calming committee, said the accident underscores the need for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s plan to slow Lincoln Drive traffic from Cliveden Street to West Allens Lane. Among other things, the plan calls for new speed tables between Nippon Street and West Mt. Airy Avenue, between Wellesley Road and West Durham Road, between McCallum Street and Greene Street, two sets between Hortter Street and Springer Street, and another table between Upsal Street and Wayne Avenue. 

“They can’t come soon enough,” said Dicker, who has long complained of speeding cars in the throughway, many of which have ended up on residents’ lawns. 

“That part of Lincoln Drive is just insane. This is the third employee of mine who’s gotten into a car accident at that intersection,” said Hagele.

Lincoln Drive is part of Philadelphia’s “high injury network,” which is the 12% of Philadelphia roads that account for 80% of its crashes.

Many residents have also clamored for speed cameras along Lincoln Drive. Due to state law, however, speed cameras are currently illegal in Philadelphia everywhere except Roosevelt Boulevard and highway work zones. Long term, the city Streets Department plans to install mast arms with overhead traffic signals throughout the corridor, along with pedestrian countdown signals, ADA ramps and audible pedestrian push buttons.