DUI driver pleads guilty in Philadelphia bike crash that killed CHOP doctor
PHILADELPHIA - A man accused of running over a cyclist while driving drunk near Rittenhouse Square last year has pleaded guilty to all charges.
What we know:
Michael Vahey, 69, is now awaiting sentencing in the death of Barbara Ann Friedes, a 30-year-old chief resident at CHOP.
On Tuesday, court records show that Vahey pleaded guilty to several charges, including homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, DUI, involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person.
The backstory:
The beloved doctor was killed when officials say a speeding vehicle hit her while she was legally riding in the bike lane near 18th and Spruce streets.
Evidence showed that Vahey had a blood alcohol level double the legal limit at the time of the crash, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Officials say he was driving 57 mph in a 25 mph zone, also hitting multiple parked vehicles and narrowly missing another pedestrian.
Parents of CHOP doctor killed in crash speak out as cyclists seek changes: 'Barricades need to be up'
Less than a week after 30-year-old Barbara Ann Friedes, a doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia died in a multi-vehicle crash while riding her bike, calls for action are growing louder in Philadelphia among the cyclist community.
What's next:
Vahey is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from court documents and previous reporting by FOX 29.