Man who struck and killed CHOP doctor riding bicycle while driving drunk sentenced to 6 to 20 years in prison
Barbara Friedes, 30, was riding her bike on Spruce Street when she was hit from behind. A judge ordered Michael Vahey to serve six to 20 years.
When Barbara Friedes, 30, was killed by a drunk driver who struck her with his Volkswagen as she rode her bicycle in the bike lane near Rittenhouse Square, the loss echoed through a constellation of thousands of lives.
It shattered the lives of her husband and their large family spread across the country.
It was felt by her colleagues, who said they were inspired by her unbridled optimism and the compassionate care she gave her patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she was a pediatric chief resident.
And the loss of Friedes was felt, her loved ones said at Tuesday’s sentencing for the man who killed her, by the community of patients she would never get to treat, children robbed of the care of an exceptional doctor guided by kindness.
Michael Vahey, 69, who pleaded guilty in April to third-degree murder, vehicular homicide while driving under the influence, and related crimes for Friedes’ death, was sentenced to six to 20 years in prison.
Vahey was driving his Volkswagen at 61 mph in a 25 mph zone while intoxicated when he rammed into Friedes from behind as she biked on the 1800 block of Spruce Street on July 17, 2024.
The impact of the hit was so great that Friedes was flung more than 20 feet into the air, police said. She and Vahey both lived in the neighborhood.
Friedes, who was wearing a helmet, suffered severe head injuries, police said, and was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after.
At the time of the crash, Vahey’s blood alcohol content was 0.16, twice the legal threshold for intoxication, police said.
Vahey had been convicted of driving under the influence in 2009 after he drove the wrong way on Pine Street near 10th Street. His blood alcohol content at the time was 0.20 — more than twice the legal threshold,prosecutors said, noting that Vahey’s record had been expunged after he completed a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program through the courts.
In emotional testimony, Friedes’ family and coworkers told Common Pleas Court Judge J. Scott O’Keefe about the impact Friedes had on everyone around her, and the void left by her death.
“When a person really close to you dies, you are left with a hole in your heart,” her mother, Mary Dietrick, said Tuesday. “When your child dies, you are left with a crater in your heart. Moreover, when your child dies in a violent way, that crater is a bottomless cavern, lined with sharp jagged edges.”
Friedes was in her third year of residency at CHOP. She had received her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and had been selected as a chief resident at CHOP for the forthcoming academic year.
She was planning to specialize in pediatric oncology, said Jeanine Ronan, director of the pediatrics residency program at CHOP.
Friedes, she said, was an “exceptional resident” and a “remarkable human being” who mentored those around her and helped them navigate the difficulties of their field.
She would curate playlists and start dance parties to lighten the mood when days were too heavy for her fellow residents, Ronan said.
“She wasn’t just a trainee,” Ronan said. “She was an inspiration. I reimagined my own leadership because of her.”
“She is woven into the fabric of how we teach. How we lead. How we learn.”
Assistant District Attorney Katherine Wood argued that Vahey’s past with drunken driving and the circumstances of the fatal crash last July showed extreme recklessness.
“He could’ve walked. He could’ve taken a bus. But he drove anyway,” she said.
Vahey sat quietly by attorney Amato Sanita’s side and did not visibly react throughout the hearing, but was contrite when he spoke to the Friedes family and to O’Keefe before his sentencing.
“There’s no way to measure this,” Vahey said quietly. “My guilt about the tragic circumstances of this whole situation. I’ll never recover.”
“I just ask the court to do as they please,” he added.
Before O’Keefe handed down the sentence, Vahey’s family members asked for leniency while apologizing to Friedes’ family and acknowledging the injustice of their irreparable loss.
“From our family to the Friedes family, we are immeasurably sorry,” said Vahey’s niece Caroline Vahey. “I’m not here to offer any excuses for Michael’s actions that day. He was wrong and he knows he’s wrong.”
After the hearing, Sanita, who told O’Keefe of his client’s unwavering remorse and cooperation with authorities from the day of the crash, said he believed the sentence was fair and just.
Friedes’ father, John Dietrick, stopped short of saying he felt the sentence was enough, saying only that he was relieved that the case had come to a close and hoped his daughter’s death would inspire positive change in the city that had felt the power of her care.
Friedes’ death sparked widespread outrage among bike-safety advocates who had been calling for increased safety measures in the city for years and led City Council to pass a measure that bans motor vehicles from stopping in designated bicycle lanes, a practice that advocates said increases the risk of crashes.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signed the bill into law in December.
City transportation officials have also proposed nearly $5 million in upgrades to the bike lanes on Spruce and Pine Streets, which would include adding concrete and planter barriers to protect the lanes.
“Hopefully, the outcome of this case continues to promote safer streets in the city of Philadelphia for everyone,” Dietrick said. “That’s what my daughter would want. More than anything.”