A retired elementary school teacher tragically died after being struck by a 45-foot wooden pole while walking on a public track at Roxborough High School in Philadelphia. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging negligence on the part of the School District of Philadelphia and the company responsible for facility inspections.

Tragic Accident at Roxborough High School

Paula Budin, 73, was walking on the track at Roxborough High School on December 5, 2024, when a large wooden pole suddenly snapped and fell, striking her. Witnesses found Budin unresponsive on the grass and immediately called 911. Paramedics arrived to find her bleeding from the back of her head. Despite efforts to save her life, she was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital approximately one hour later. An autopsy later determined her cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries, with the incident ruled an accident.

The lawsuit, filed by Budin’s sister, Joyce Siegel, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, contends that the school district and the inspecting firm failed in their duties, leading to Budin’s death. The track at Roxborough High School is generally accessible to the public, a fact highlighted by the family’s legal team.

Allegations of Negligence and Decay

Attorneys for the family allege that the 45-foot pole, manufactured in 1997, had deteriorated significantly due to its proximity to a storm drain. According to the complaint, stormwater runoff likely caused the base of the pole to rot, weakening its structural integrity. Lawyers claim that when they inspected the four poles on the property after Budin’s death, the pole that fell was found to be “almost completely rotted” at its base.

Furthermore, the lawsuit asserts that there were no inspection tags on the pole, indicating it had not been properly maintained or inspected by the School District of Philadelphia. Siegel’s legal team argues that the district “knew or should have known of the dangerous condition of the subject pole,” citing visible signs of decay that were apparent as early as 2014. Despite this alleged knowledge and the foreseeable risk of severe harm, the district is accused of failing to take any corrective action or warn the public.

Role of the Inspection Company

The lawsuit also names Parsons Corporation, a company hired to inspect Roxborough High School and its facilities, including the track, in 2015. While Parsons reportedly issued a review two years later, the complaint alleges that the company “repeatedly failed to inspect the subject poles.” This failure to identify and address the decaying pole is a central point of the negligence claim against Parsons.

Both the School District of Philadelphia and Parsons Corporation are facing one count of negligence and one count of wrongful death. The lawsuit also includes four unnamed “John Does” as defendants, as the installers of the pole and drain inlet could not be definitively identified.

Paula Budin Remembered

Paula Budin is remembered by her family as someone who “enjoyed an active lifestyle.” Before her retirement, she dedicated her career to teaching elementary school students at the Community Partnership School. Her family is seeking compensatory damages and a jury trial to address the circumstances surrounding her death.

Legal Proceedings and Next Steps

The defendants have not yet formally responded to the complaint filed by Budin’s family. The lawsuit details that following Budin’s death, the school district subsequently removed all poles from the site. The legal team has presented images within the lawsuit illustrating the pole’s close proximity to a storm drain, supporting their claims of environmental decay and the district’s alleged awareness of the hazard.

This tragic incident underscores the critical importance of regular, thorough inspections and maintenance of public facilities to ensure the safety of students and community members. The outcome of this lawsuit will likely hinge on the evidence presented regarding the condition of the pole, the inspection records, and the knowledge attributed to both the school district and the contracted inspection firm.