Truck Hits Man on Bike, New Falls Road Video Store

A medical emergency is believed to be the reason the driver of a maroon Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck veered across New Falls Road, hit a homeless man on a bicycle and then a building Thursday morning in Bristol Township, police said.

The homeless bicyclist was struck and treated by EMTs at the scene. A friend latear took the man to the hospital for further evaluation, police Sgt. Chuck Burns said.

The middle-aged man behind the wheel of the pickup suffered minor injuries from the crash and was transported by ambulance to St. Mary Medical Center, Burns said. 

An initial investigation revealed the truck was traveling westbound on New Falls Road when it went across the opposing lane of travel and into the shopping center. The truck struck a pole attached to a small strip center and then ended up through the wall of The Video Store, the sergeant told Patch.

Kevin Dippolito, township fire marshal, said the crash caused heavy damage to a back storage area of the popular video rental store. He ruled that the store remained structurally sound and could remain open.

Alice Tardino, who owns the store with her husband, said they were relieved the damage was only contained to the empty storage room and did not cause damage to the front of the store.

"If that (truck) came through the front brick, we could have been out of business," she said.

Tardino said she was in her Langhorne home getting ready to head out to open the store when Dippolito called and told her the building had been hit and she needed to come to the scene. She said she had trouble reaching her husband, John, because he was at the gym.

The Video Store has been located in the former New Falls Road bank building for more than 25 years. The store began at a nearby Levittown location nearly 32 years ago, Tardino said.

Despite the damage to the back, the front of the store remains open and filled with movies for all to rent and enjoy.