A retired elementary school teacher died on December 5, 2024, after a 45-foot wooden lighting pole snapped and struck her while she was walking on the track at Roxborough High School in Philadelphia. Her sister, Joyce Siegel, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the School District of Philadelphia and Parsons Corporation, alleging negligence led to the fatal accident.
Paula Budin, 73 at the time of her death, was on the high school's track, which is accessible to the public, when the pole fell. A witness found Budin unresponsive on the grass and called 911. Paramedics attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful. An autopsy later determined her cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries, ruling the incident an accident.
Allegations of Negligence
The lawsuit, filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, contends that the pole, manufactured in 1997, had deteriorated due to stormwater runoff near its base, which was close to a storm drain. According to the complaint, the pole was "almost completely rotted" where it broke. Siegel's lawyers assert that there were no inspection tags on the pole, indicating it had not been properly inspected or maintained by the school district.
The suit further claims that the School District of Philadelphia "knew or should have known of the dangerous condition of the subject pole" as early as 2014, citing visible signs of decay. Despite this knowledge and the potential risk of harm, the district allegedly failed to take corrective action or warn the public.
Role of Inspection Company
The lawsuit also names Parsons Corporation, which reportedly inspected Roxborough High School and its track facilities in 2015, issuing a review two years later. However, the complaint states that Parsons "repeatedly failed to inspect the subject poles." Both the school district and Parsons are accused of negligence and wrongful death.
Four unidentified individuals, referred to as "John Does," have also been named in the suit, as the installers of the pole and drain inlet could not be definitively identified. Budin's family is seeking compensatory damages and a jury trial. The defendants have not yet responded to the complaint.
Paula Budin was described as someone who "enjoyed an active lifestyle." Before retiring, she taught at the Community Partnership School. Following her death, the lawsuit notes that the school district removed all of the poles from the site.