The family of Minh-Thi Nguyen, a 24-year-old MIT student who was fatally struck by a box truck while bicycling in Cambridge, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. According to Boston, the suit targets both the New Hampshire-based company Charles P. Blouin, Inc., that owned the truck, and Michael Fitts, the driver at the time of the incident. The lawsuit is set at over $30 million for wrongful death damages, also including medical expenses totaling $28,096.
On the morning of June 21, 2024, Nguyen encountered her tragic fate along Hampshire Street as the truck made a right turn onto Portland Street, entering the bike lane she was legally occupying. Despite her attempts to avoid the truck, she tragically went underneath between the front and rear wheels, the truck only stopping when a bystander intervened. Nguyen, a third-year physics doctoral student, was not only an academic at MIT but had also entered the world of quantum computing start-ups before her untimely passing, according to the complaint obtained by Boston.
As stated by her family's attorney J. Tucker Merrigan, "Minh-Thi’s tragic death is an immeasurable loss for her family, the scientific community, and the world. She is totally blameless." Merrigan emphasized the need for 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," as Boston reported. The defendant's attorney has yet to comment on the case.
Nguyen's death has brought to the fore the issue of cycling safety in Cambridge, as NBC10 Boston noted, she was not the only cyclist to die on Cambridge streets. Advocates and community members have been pushing for years for enhancements to traffic safety, which includes more bike lanes, and lights specifically for bicycles. Following the event, the city has taken steps to bolster cyclist safety, with plans to build protected bike lanes, although these measures cannot retroactively save lives already lost.
The deaths have led to increased calls for truck safety regulations, including the installation of safety equipment on state-funded trucks, a step that officials believe could have saved lives. Cambridge Vice Mayor Marc McGovern cited the potential effect of such regulations in a statement, lamenting the loss that could have been avoided. The city is also making strides in reducing speed limits and developing infrastructure to prevent future tragedies similar to Nguyen’s, all aiming towards a November 2026 deadline for the completion of these projects, as per NBC10 Boston.
