A retired elementary school teacher died after being struck by a decaying 45-foot wooden pole at Roxborough High School's track in Philadelphia, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her family. Paula Budin, 73, was walking on the track, which is open to the public, on December 5, 2024, when the pole snapped and hit her.
Budin's sister, Joyce Siegel, filed the civil complaint in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, alleging that the School District of Philadelphia and a contracted inspection company were negligent. The lawsuit states that an inspection of the poles revealed the one that broke was manufactured in 1997 and had no inspection tags, indicating it had not been properly maintained.
According to the suit, stormwater runoff likely caused the base of the pole to deteriorate, leading to it being "almost completely rotted" at the point where it snapped. Lawyers for the family claim that visible signs of decay were present as far back as 2014, and the district "knew or should have known of the dangerous condition" of the pole but failed to take action or warn the public.
The lawsuit also names Parsons Corporation, a company that inspected the school facilities in 2015, alleging that the company repeatedly failed to inspect the poles in question. Both the school district and Parsons are accused of negligence and wrongful death. The family is seeking compensatory damages and a jury trial.
An autopsy determined Budin's cause of death to be "multiple blunt force injuries." After her death, the school district reportedly removed all the poles from the track area. Budin was a retired elementary school teacher and was described as having an "active lifestyle."