Overview

• On July 22, 2025, a judge sentenced 69-year-old Michael Vahey to 6–20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, third-degree murder, DUI and involuntary manslaughter.
• Prosecutors said Vahey had a blood alcohol content of nearly 0.16 and was speeding at over 50 mph in a 25 mph zone when he veered into the bike lane and struck Friedes.
• Vahey had a prior DUI conviction in 2009 that was expunged after he completed a court-ordered alcohol rehabilitation program.
• Dr. Barbara Friedes, 30, was a pediatric resident at CHOP who had been named chief resident before she died from severe head injuries at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
• City transportation officials have allocated nearly $5 million for concrete and planter barriers on Spruce and Pine streets and City Council has barred vehicles from stopping in bike lanes to prevent similar tragedies.