September 13, 2018
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
A cyclist rides west on JFK Boulevard in Center City Philadelphia, Nov. 2, 2016.
The family of Emily Fredericks, the 24-year-old who was killed in Center City in November by a trash truck as she biked to work, has announced a $6 million settlement with the truck’s owner and plans to advocate for safety improvements to Philadelphia’s streets.
On top of $6 million in compensatory damages paid to Emily’s estate, Gold Medal Environmental — the company operating the trash truck that hit Fredericks — and the family will work together to donate $25,000 each year for the next five years to local organizations “committed to improving the safety of Philadelphia roads,” according to a press statement released Thursday.
Fredricks’ parents, Richard and Laura Fredricks, said in the statement they feel the agreement can save lives “by making Philadelphia's streets safer for bicyclists, as well drivers – truck and car – and also pedestrians."
The statement noted Gold Medal says it has upped its truck driver safety program in the wake of the accident, with a new curriculum on urban vehicle operations, an obstacle course at its training facility, and “behind-the-wheel interactions with bicyclists.”
Gold Medal drivers are also now eligible for salary bonuses for “accident-free driving,” according to the statement.
In April of this year, the Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and its corporate partners raised more than $10,000 for a tribute to Fredricks.
The City of Philadelphia announced its Vision Zero plan last September, a plan to eliminate all traffic-related deaths in Philadelphia by 2030.
Gold Medal Environmental operates in multiple counties across New Jersey and Philadelphia; their full coverage area can be found here.
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