David Frank Sampson
Agency patch
Police Officer

David Frank Sampson

Philadelphia Police Department — Philadelphia, PA
Accident Veteran →
End of Watch December 12, 1973
Age 33
Tour of Duty 8 yrs 5 mo
Badge 4896
The Vigil Panel 113 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer David Sampson was struck and killed by a car while attempting to cross a divided highway to assist officers in a tractor trailer accident. Officer Sampson, was off duty, with his wife when they witnessed a tractor trailer crash on Woodhaven Road, near Knights Road. As Officer Sampson was approaching the accident to render aid he found a hitch hiker who was bleeding from a head injury. He drove the injured man to his home nearby where he telephoned police to report the accident. Officer Sampson returned to the accident and was attempting to assist the responding offices when he was struck and killed by a passing vehicle. Officer Samspon was a U.S Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for eight years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-1097010C
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Sampson gave the Philadelphia Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Philadelphia, PA
Platform Identity ppd.philadelphia.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 12, 1973
Tour of Duty 8 yrs 5 mo
Age 33
Badge Number 4896
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

David Frank Sampson served in the Marine Corps (1959–1965) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer David Frank Sampson is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Philadelphia Police Department, 110 of 378 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.1% of this agency's fallen.

Philadelphia Police Department
110
of 378 officers
29.1% Accident
PA — Statewide
417
of 1,261 officers
33.1% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Frank Sampson's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How David Frank Sampson Compares

Age at End of Watch
33
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
8.4
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David Frank Sampson is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location