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.
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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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