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The family of a Cambridge cyclist who was killed in a collision with a truck last June is suing the truck driver and his employer for more than $30 million, alleging negligence and wrongful death.
The suit, filed in Middlesex Superior Court on Wednesday, names Charles P. Blouin Inc. as the business that owned and operated the truck and Michael G. Fitts, the driver, as defendants.
Minh-Thi Nguyen, a 24-year-old graduate student at MIT, was fatally hit by a truck near Kendall Square last summer. The eight-page suit, filed by her father Hieu Nguyen, alleges that the defendants’ negligence caused Nguyen to suffer “mortal fear of death, conscious pain and suffering, and ultimately to perish.”
The suit seeks roughly $28,000 to cover hospital expenses and $30 million for wrongful death from Boulin. The company and their lawyers did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
Police and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office have not yet released names of the driver or company involved in the crash. The case remains under investigation, according to Middlesex County District Attorney's Office spokesperson Meghan Kelly.
The driver was identified through an independent investigation conducted by Sweeney Merrigan, the firm representing Nguyen’s family.
“Minh-Thi’s tragic death is an immeasurable loss for her family, the scientific community, and the world. She is totally blameless,” J. Tucker Merrigan, a managing partner for the firm, wrote in a Wednesday statement.
“There needs to be accountability for the 10-ton box truck that failed to yield the right of way and robbed the world of a brilliant mind and huge heart,” he wrote.
The suit details Nguyen’s accident, noting that she was “in her bike lane, wearing a helmet, and following the rules of the road.”
Nguyen was biking towards MIT and was struck at the intersection of Hampshire Street and Portland Street, according to the suit. She had the right of way to continue straight through the intersection when she was struck by the truck, which did not yield when making a right-hand turn onto Portland Street, according to a court filing.
Nguyen was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital where she died from her injuries less than an hour later.
Nguyen is remembered for her “unbreakable spirit” and “boundless generosity,” according to a statement where the family shared reflections about their daughter’s accident.
“My heart aches for my daughter, who worked tirelessly her entire life, striving for success, only to meet such an unfair and tragic end,” her father wrote, “I once imagined the words I would say at her wedding, never thinking I would one day have to speak at her funeral instead.”
Nguyen was the second cyclist in Cambridge killed by a truck making a right turn last June. Less than two weeks before Nguyen’s death, a 55-year-old Florida woman, Kim Staley, was killed at the intersection of DeWolfe Street and Mt. Auburn Street in Harvard Square after being hit by a truck while riding her bicycle.
The two deaths reignited a divisive and controversial debate in Cambridge around cyclist safety; one day before Nguyen’s death, the Cambridge City Council voted to launch an audit of vehicle intersections around the city. Shortly after, the City Council voted to ask city staff to work with federal and state lawmakers to advocate for stricter truck regulations.
In a September 2024 meeting, city officials concluded that without federal intervention, their power to implement more stringent traffic safety regulations was limited.
Still, activists continue to push for safer streets for bikers.
“Our community deserves a comprehensive network of separated bike lanes to be able to move around safely and comfortably and efficiently, and to make sure that people are safe when they’re able to do it,” Chris A. Cassa, a volunteer with advocacy group Cambridge Bike Safety, said.
“I think there’s more work to do to improve the safety of all of these intersections and to make sure that people who are driving are guided in a way so that it's very challenging for them to do things that might result in injury and death,” he added.
—Staff writer Matan H. Josephy can be reached matan.josephy@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @matanjosephy.
—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart.
