Emily Fredricks
On Wednesday, a Philadelphia judge dismissed the case against a professional driver who killed 24-year-old Emily Fredricks while she rode her bicycle on Spruce Street in November 2017.
On Friday, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Families for Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia, the Vision Zero Alliance, and concerned citizens from all over Philadelphia will deliver letters to District Attorney Larry Krasner, calling for his office to appeal this case. We will gather in front of the District Attorney’s office at noon, and make a statement at 12:30pm.
All are invited to attend and bring their own letters.
As the Bicycle Coalition and Families For Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia concluded in a study released in February 2019, only about 16 percent of motorists who kill bicyclists and pedestrians are ever charged with a crime. None of the drivers who’ve killed 11 cyclists in Philadelphia over the past three years have been charged. It’s time for a change.
Allowing motorists to kill bicyclists without any consequence in Philadelphia must end and we had been expecting this case to be a turning point. The DA’s office is critical to creating the cultural shift that so desperately must happen.
On Friday, we will deliver letters to the DA’s office at 3 S Penn Square, calling upon DA Larry Krasner to appeal this egregious decision and vigorously pursue the charges of homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person.
Click here to read Sarah Clark Stuart’s letter to District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Who: Philadelphia’s cycling community, Families for Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia, Vision Zero Alliance
What: Demanding an appeal to Judge Lillian Ransom decision to dismiss charges
Where: Outside the District Attorney’s office, 3 S Penn Square
When: Gather at noon; statement at 12:30pm
What you can do now: Write a letter to the District Attorney demanding that his office appeal the judge’s decision. Bring your letter to the action on Friday. If you can’t make it, email a copy of your letter to bike@bicyclecoalition.org, we will print it out, and include it in our package of letters to the District Attorney.
Please reconsider this case. The trash truck drive made an illegal turn! This is a terrible tragedy and one that needs to be addressed.