Cyclist killed Philadelphia: CHOP resident identified as woman killed after being hit by speeder downtown

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The cyclist who was struck and killed by a speeder in Center City on Wednesday night has been identified as an oncology resident at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

30-year-old Barbara Friedes, originally from Colorado, treated children with cancer.

Her brother told Action News that this loss will have a tremendous impact, not only within her family, but also within the medical community and the patients she helped every day at CHOP.

“Barbara was a beacon and was selected to serve as chief resident at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for this academic year because of her many talents, skills and accomplishments,” said Dr. Jeanine Ronan, chief resident and program director of the pediatric residency program at CHOP, in a statement.

“She was loved by so many and embodied kindness, strength and deep compassion for all who crossed her path. This morning, the CHOP community mourns her tragic loss and we keep her family, friends and loved ones in our hearts,” Ronan continued.

That love for Friedes was echoed by Avis Chen Boulter, who came to the scene of the accident to lay flowers in her honor and said her daughter worked with Friedes at CHOP. She said her daughter was heartbroken.

“Everyone there is pretty devastated,” she said.

The accident occurred around 7 p.m. when Friedes was riding on a designated bike lane at the corner of 18th and Spruce Streets.

According to police, Friedes was thrown about 20 to 30 feet before hitting the ground. She was taken to a nearby hospital for head injuries.

According to witnesses, neighbors and police rushed to help, but she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

“I saw people taking care of the biker and performing CPR,” said Ryan Cooper.

He tells Action News that he lives near the scene of the accident. “I went and checked on the older driver. He didn’t really speak much English.”

“I just remember what I saw, and when I closed my eyes, all I saw was this moment of a person hanging upside down in the air,” said Jessie of Porch in West Philadelphia, who was riding her bike at the time.

According to police, the 68-year-old driver of a Volkswagen was speeding down Spruce Street shortly before the accident. Witnesses say he was riding in the bike lane.

“We heard it flying over the posts blocking the bike path and thought it was gunshots,” said Lee Newswanger, who lives in Rittenhouse Square.

“Witnessing a collision with a cyclist at high speed is my worst fear,” Porch added.

According to police, the driver continued down Spruce Street and crashed into two unoccupied parked cars.

The force of the impact caused the vehicle to spin 180 degrees and eventually come to a stop in the opposite direction. Police said the man was conscious at the scene of the accident and was taken to hospital.

“They said the elderly gentleman who was driving the car was talkative at the hospital,” DiSanto said.

The police are trying to determine the cause of the accident and the reason for driving too fast on a narrow residential street.

There is no information about the driver’s condition.

According to the family, Friedes had a car but rode his bicycle every day.

She will be remembered as wise, kind-hearted and very generous.

Her death had an impact on the cycling community. Several people came to the scene of the accident throughout Thursday to lay flowers and candles in Friedes’ honor. Many said it was necessary because what happened to her could have happened to any of them.

“It could have been me. It could have been any of my friends or any of our neighbors,” said Jessie Amadio of the Philly Bike Coalition, a group that advocates for cyclist safety.

The cause of the accident is currently unknown, but Amadio and others said the accident might have been avoided if the city had not cut more than $1 million from the Vision Zero program, which aims to reduce traffic fatalities.

Money was transferred, but the city said Thursday that the money was intended for a speed bump and traffic calming program, which are important components of Vision Zero.

“Infrastructure is only one part of it,” said Chris Gail, president of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “We need to think about how we convince our fellow Philadelphians to slow down and share the road.”

Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement that she supports proactive safety measures for cyclists and pedestrians, adding: “I take road safety very seriously – and very personally.”

The 6abc Data Journalism Team found that this is the first fatal crash involving a cyclist in Philadelphia this year. The city has averaged about six fatal crashes per year since 2019.