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Man sentenced for 2024 drunk driving crash that killed CHOP doctor

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Published  July 22, 2025 2:29pm EDT
Crime & Public Safety
FOX 29 Philadelphia
New charge for suspect in suspected DUI crash that killed CHOP doctor on bike

New charge for suspect in suspected DUI crash that killed CHOP doctor on bike

A man accused of striking and killing a CHOP pediatric resident is now being charged with third-degree murder.

The Brief

    • Michael Vahey was sentenced to 6-20 years in prison for the drunk driving crash that killed CHOP doctor Barbara Ann Friedes in July 2024.
    • Friedes was legally riding in the bike lane near 18th and Spruce when she was fatally struck by Vahey.
    • Prosecutors said Vahey's blood alcohol content was double the legal limit, and he was driving 57 MPH in a 25 MPH zone.

PHILADELPHIA - Michael Vahey, a drunk driver who struck and killed a CHOP doctor who was riding a bike in Rittenhouse last year, was sentenced on Tuesday. 

Vahey, 69, was sentenced to 6-20 years in prison for the crash that killed 30-year-old Barbara Ann Friedes as she rode in the bike lane near 18th and Spruce streets.

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.

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