Man pleads guilty in DUI-related death of CHOP doctor riding bicycle near Rittenhouse Square
Barbara Friedes, 30, was killed when she was struck from behind in the bike lane on Spruce Street by Michael Vahey, 69.
A 69-year-old man has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, vehicular homicide while driving under the influence, and related crimes in the death last July of Barbara Friedes, a 30-year-old pediatric resident at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who was riding a bicycle near Rittenhouse Square, court records show.
Outrage among bike-safety advocates after the death of Friedes and other incidents led City Council to pass a measure that bans motor vehicles from stopping in the city’s designated bicycle lanes. Saying that practice increases the risk of crashes, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signed the bill into law in December.
Michael Vahey pleaded guilty to multiple offenses related to the fatal crash on July 17, when Friedes was struck from behind by Vahey’s Volkswagen while she rode in the bike lane on the 1800 block of Spruce Street.
The impact was so great that Friedes was flung more than 20 feet into the air, police said.
Friedes and Vahey both lived in the neighborhood, police said.
Vahey’s blood-alcohol content was 0.16 — twice the legal threshold for intoxication — at the time of the crash, police said. He was driving more than 50 mph in a 25-mph zone when his vehicle struck Friedes, District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
In a statement Wednesday, Krasner said Vahey’s admission of guilt in what he called “the shocking, senseless, and tragic” death of Friedes served as a reminder not to drink and drive and not to drive in a bike lane.
He said he would comment further after Vahey’s sentencing, which is scheduled for July 22, days after the one-year anniversary of Friedes’ death. Vahey has been held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility since his arrest at the scene of the crash.
Friedes’ family declined to comment Wednesday and referred questions to a family attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, who could not immediately be reached.
Vahey’s lawyer, Amato T. Sanita, described him as extremely remorseful.
”Mr. Vahey accepted at the outset of the case full responsibility for his actions,” he said.
Vahey, he added, “knows what he did had a significant impact on multiple families” and extends his sympathy to Friedes’ relatives.
Assistant District Attorney Katherine Wood said in court that Vahey had been convicted of a DUI in 2009 after he drove the wrong way on Pine Street near 10th Street. Vahey’s blood-alcohol content was 0.20 — more than twice the legal threshold.
The record was later expunged after Vahey completed a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program through the courts, Wood said.
Bike-safety advocates on Wednesday welcomed Vahey’s guilty plea, but made clear that more work had to be done to protect cyclists.
“We stand with Dr. Friedes’ family during this time and beyond,” said Chris Gale, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “Even though the guilty plea provides some sense of closure and justice, we hope to see permanent road improvements so no other family has to go through this terrible trauma.”
City transportation officials have proposed nearly $5 million in upgrades to the Spruce and Pine bike lanes, which would include adding concrete and planter barriers to protect the lanes.
Safety advocates say such steps could prevent another tragedy.
“I would say that it’s important that people are held accountable for reckless driving, but doing anything after the fact doesn’t stop it from happening again,” said Jessie Amadio, cofounder of bike-safety advocacy group Philly Bike Action. “We’re really looking towards the city to stick to their promise to protect the Spruce and Pine bike lanes and future bike lanes.”
Last year, 134 people were killed in traffic incidents in the city, according to data compiled by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Three cyclists, including Friedes, were struck last year, the data shows.
Friedes, who specialized in pediatric oncology at CHOP, was at an event with her husband, Cole, on that summer evening when she left early to ride back home, Cole Friedes said.
She was in her third year of residency at CHOP. She received her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and had just been selected as a chief resident at CHOP for the forthcoming academic year.