Evelyn Wei, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Citizen Memorials on Waymarking.com

Evelyn Wei was a 33 year old woman that was hit by a vehicle while crossing a street on a pedestrian crosswalk on 1/21/2004.

A trial by jury later found the city of Pittsburgh guilty, as well as the driver of the vehicle.

The Wei family and their attorney donated each $10,000 for the installation of the flashing traffic light, which cost a total of $75,000.

At the dedication of the traffic light on 4/3/2007, a ceremonial first walk was made by the parents of the victim, and by the director of the city Public Works department.

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From a newspaper article by David Conti, that appeared on the Tribune-Review on September 29, 2005:

An Allegheny County jury Wednesday awarded nearly $3.7 million to the family of a Regent Square woman who was killed by a van last year while crossing Braddock Avenue with her dog near Frick Park.

"The thing that probably upset the jury more than anything else was that the city had complaints about this stretch of road and chose to ignore them," said attorney John P. Gismondi, who represented Evelyn H. Wei's relatives in their lawsuit against the city of Pittsburgh and the van driver.

Wei, 33, a researcher at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Oakland, died Jan. 23, 2004, two days after being struck by a van driven by Jan Jones, 63, of Swissvale. Her death prompted community groups in Regent Square, Edgewood and Swissvale to push for more street signs and increased police patrols on the busy East End thoroughfare.

But Gismondi said Pittsburgh officials had been asked before Wei's death to fix what he said is a dangerous stretch of road.

During the trial that began Sept. 20, jurors saw copies of written complaints filed with Mayor Tom Murphy's service center and e-mails to city officials asking for signs warning drivers of pedestrian crosswalks.

The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before agreeing with Gismondi. Jurors assigned about 20 percent of the blame to the city and 80 percent to Jones, Gismondi said.

"The city said they were not at fault, that the driver was responsible," Gismondi said. "We claimed the city bore part of the responsibility because there were a lot of complaints about the road and they should have done something to make it better."

Jones testified that she never saw Wei and the dog standing in a crosswalk before her van struck them. The dog died the same day.

Police said Jones was not speeding. She was cited for reckless driving and failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Jones' attorney, Jeffrey Ramaley, did not immediately return a call for comment. City lawyers and a spokesperson for Murphy could not be reached.

In the months after Wei's death, new pedestrian crossing signs were installed along the road. Officials also repainted the crosswalk lines in the street, erected an electronic sign that shows drivers how fast they are traveling in the 25 mph zone and placed "Yield to Pedestrian" signs in the middle of the street.

Wei received a doctorate in psychiatric epidemiology in 1999 from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health and was a senior research principal in the school's department of psychiatry. Her mother, Yuling L. Wei, is a senior research associate in the school's department of epidemiology.

Evelyn Wei's parents and her husband, Michael Sukel, are expected to make their first public comments on her death at a news conference this morning.

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From an article by Dan Majors that appeared on the Post-Gazette, on April 4, 2007

Donald and Yuling Wei hesitantly stepped off the curb yesterday afternoon along South Braddock Avenue at Biddle Street, the Regent Square intersection where their daughter, Evelyn, was struck and killed while crossing three years ago.

But they were walking under the safety of the city's new flashing-yellow overhead crossing lights, dedicated to their daughter and paid for, in part, out of the settlement received in the couple's lawsuit against the city.

"From Day One, when the family first came to see me, the thing that they were most interested in was trying to see that nobody else had to relive what they lived through," their attorney, John P. Gismondi, said during a small dedication ceremony at the intersection near Frick Park.

"The lawsuit was always about trying to make this a safer intersection for people. To their credit, it was their idea to approach the city and make sure that cost was not an issue."

The crossing lights, which are activated when pedestrians push buttons on curbside poles, cost $75,000. The Weis, who won a $465,000 settlement from the city, donated $10,000, as did Mr. Gismondi. The rest of the cost was covered by a grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources because of the intersection's proximity to Frick Park.

Evelyn Wei, 33, a researcher at UPMC, was struck and killed by a car as she walked her dog back from Frick Park to her home on Braddock Avenue at around 7 p.m. on Jan. 21, 2004. A jury awarded her husband, Mike Sukel, and her parents $3.7 million in 2005, but the city, by state law, was liable for a maximum of $500,000.

"It's with mixed feelings that we are here today," said Mr. Wei, who lives with his wife in Monroeville. "We are gratified that this pedestrian-activated traffic control is finally in place. On the other hand, we are saddened that it is because of Evelyn's death we are here.

"[Our] interest has always been to make this a safer intersection, a safer place for the adults and kids who use this park for decades to come."

The crossing lights, which flash for 60 seconds, are cautionary and do not stop traffic. In fact, commemorative plaques on the poles warn pedestrians that the lights "[do] not guarantee a driver will stop."

"We have to remember that in the city of Pittsburgh, pedestrians do have the right of way at an intersection," City Council President Doug Shields said. "[Monday] there was another tragedy on West Liberty Avenue in Dormont where a woman was struck and killed. Hopefully, this could be part of the message for a change in the culture of Pittsburgh."

The Weis' ceremonial first crossing also amounted to a chance to evaluate the setup. Afterward, they had two concerns that city Public Works Director Guy Costa promised to address in the days ahead: The length of time per activation will be stretched to a minute and a half, and some form of flashing light will be installed so pedestrians can be sure the system is activated. Right now, the flashing lights are aimed at oncoming traffic and not visible from the curbs.

The new lights were welcomed by neighborhood residents who have been trying to address safety issues at the dangerous intersection for years. Carrie Webber, president of the Regent Square Civic Association. said the effort "gained momentum after Evelyn's accident."

"I'm just so pleased," said Ms. Webber, who lives on Lancaster Street. "I have a 4-year-old and a dog. For all the residents, we just think it's wonderful. The traffic through here travels pretty fast and the drivers aren't always aware of the pedestrians. I'm just so impressed that [the Weis] were willing to participate in this after their tragedy."

John Danzak, who has lived on South Braddock Avenue for 15 years, said the city has been responsive to residents' concerns.

"To the city's credit, every time something has happened here, the city has responded and made an additional improvement," he said. "The city has not sat by idly. They've painted the crosswalks, they posted signs. This is perhaps the icing on the cake."

Asked about how long it took to get the crossing lights approved, purchased and installed, Mr. Wei said, "Considering government as government goes, it's not that simple. It's the end result that counts."

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