Less than a year after a 24-year-old female bicyclist was struck and killed by a Gold Medal Environmental trash truck in the Center City District, her family entered into a $6 million settlement.
Less than a year after a 24-year-old female bicyclist was struck and killed by a Gold Medal Environmental trash truck in the Center City District, her family entered into a $6 million settlement. She was riding in a faded bicycle lane on Spruce Street when the truck made a right turn and struck her. The settlement goes far beyond the $6 million though. The woman’s family worked with their attorney on a number of measures that would make it safer in the future for bicyclists when they’re around Gold Medal trucks. In turn, Gold Medal has acted responsibly, and it has gone beyond what the woman’s family asked for. Aside from paying the settlement amount, here’s what Gold Medal has promised to do.
Training
The company has agreed to have its drivers trained and trained again by a “certified training organization.” The training will include how drivers will interact with bicyclists when encountering them on the street. New policies and disciplinary procedures will be put in place for purposes of the elimination of distracted driving and idling in bicycle lanes. Drivers will be encouraged to engage in safe driving practices, and they’ll be awarded for doing so.
Regional Training Facility
The company has recently opened a new regional training center for its drivers. They can even train on an urban obstacle course. That course will be operated and controlled by a driver safety consultant who will be working with Gold Medal. It will be opened in the summer of 2019.
Cameras
Gold Medal has already spent another $6 million for new safety equipment. Some of those funds were used for new trucks. Those trucks will be equipped with rear and side view cameras along with a “back up warning radar” for purposes of protecting bicyclists and pedestrians.
The Donation
At a total of $125,000, Gold Medal has agreed to donate $25,000 each year for five years to five groups or organizations that are “committed to improving the safety of Philadelphia’s roads.” The first such organization to receive a donation was The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
Family Involvement
Gold Medal has invited the family of the victim to see its new regional training facility for themselves. The company has asked the family to introduce Gold Medal management and drivers to the new policies that were agreed to as part of the settlement. The family is also establishing a scholarship program and high school athletic awards from a foundation in the victim’s name.
“As a parent, you don’t want that to happen to anybody else,” the victim’s mother said, “and that has been a driving force for all of us.” One of the family’s lawyers remarked that the settlement “shows how they have taken their unimaginable tragedy to turn their grief into action to make our streets safer.”
Join the conversation!