The parents of Dr. Barbara Friedes, a 30-year old cyclist who was killed while riding her bike in Center City last week, say her death could have been prevented. They are joining advocates and Philadelphia cyclists in calling for change.
"There is no sense in any of it. There is no justification, there is no logic," said John Dietrick, Friedes' father. "It was so simple to prevent.”
The deadly crash happened along the 1800 block of Spruce Street on the night of Wednesday, July 17. According to police, Friedes was riding her bike when a speeding driver swerved into the designated bike lane and hit her. The driver of the vehicle, a man in his 60s, is not facing any charges right now. Philadelphia Police said it is an ongoing investigation.
Friedes was just named chief resident at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Her colleagues described her as a "beacon of light." Her family members said she was also courageous and kind.
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“Very compassionate, accepting of everyone, willing to help with whatever is needed,” said Mary Dietrick, Friedes' mother.
“Barbara never did anything easy. She always took the hardest challenge, the hardest fight, and she made it work. She did it with a smile. She did it with grace. She fought for everyone and she made everyone feel welcomed," said her father.
Sunday morning, hundreds of cyclists and other community members came together at the intersection where Barbara was killed for a vigil.
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According to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Friedes is the first person to be killed riding a bicycle in Philadelphia in 2024. In 2023, they say the city experienced a record number of bicyclist deaths with 10 people killed.
During the vigil, advocates honored all traffic victims. They held signs calling for "no more bike deaths."
“Not only are these tragic deaths unacceptable, they were preventable,” said Chris Gale, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
Advocates hoped the vigil would bring attention to the lack of permanent safety infrastructure for cyclists. They want to see concrete barriers installed to protect bike lanes.
"She was doing everything right. She still lost her life because there wasn’t enough infrastructure, concrete barriers. There wasn’t a way to really, really protect her in the road," said Gale.
Friedes' parents attended the vigil and learned about other families in Philadelphia who have lost loved ones in traffic incidents.
“The sheer number, listening to the other families, is staggering and to be quite candid it is sickening that something like that can happen," said John Dietrick.
Friedes' parents say they have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for their daughter from the community, CHOP, her colleagues, cyclists, and strangers.
"It was very heartfelt," said John Dietrick. "It was very comforting and it helps in the process.”
Now, they are urging the city to channel their daughter's courage and implement more safety protections for cyclists in Philadelphia.
"She wouldn’t want it about her. She would want it about change. She would want it about making it better and making sure this doesn’t happen again. It can’t happen," said John Dietrick. “Nobody should feel this. It just can’t happen.”
