Driver charged with vehicular homicide, DUI in bicycle crash that killed CHOP doctor

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The driver who struck and killed a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia doctor while she was riding her bike near Rittenhouse Square last week has been charged with vehicular homicide.

District Attorney Larry Krasner said on Thursday that 68-year-old Michael Vahey was driving nearly 60 miles per hour down Spruce Street around 7 p.m. on July 17 when he veered into the bike lane and struck 30-year-old Barbara Friedes, an oncology doctor at CHOP.

Friedes was wearing a bike helmet. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

“[He] struck her with such impact, he threw her body 150 feet and she was dead probably then,” said prosecutor Joanne Pescatore.

Evidence showed Vahey was intoxicated when he struck Friedes.

“He had alcohol in his system at twice the legal limit,” Krasner said. “It was essentially .16. The legal limit is .08.”

“He was traveling at least 57 miles per hour when he struck Dr. Friedes,” Pescatore added. “He almost struck another pedestrian as well.”

Vahey surrendered to police Wednesday night, according to authorities. He has been charged with homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless endangerment, among other offenses.

Vahey has no prior criminal history or recorded arrests for driving under the influence.

Friedes was recently named a chief resident at CHOP, where she treated pediatric cancer patients. Her death has prompted an outcry from bicycle safety advocates in the city for greater measures to protect cyclists.

“With a daughter with sickle cell disease, I spent over two decades in and out of CHOP and understand the impact doctors have on the community they serve, and that’s a testament to the communities they serve and their work,” said Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel.

Bethel noted Friedes is the first bicyclist death of the year in Philadelphia, but more than two dozen pedestrians have been hit and killed by cars.