Hobby Airport worker wore reflective gear when Republic Waste Services truck hit her, mom says
Bre'Ana Powell died after the Oct. 8, 2022, incident at Broadway and Morley
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The family of a woman hit and killed by a trash truck while riding her bicycle has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Republic Waste Services of Texas and the driver.
On Oct. 8, Bre'Ana Powell was crossing Broadway Street in southeast Houston on her bicycle when Houston police say the driver of the 50,000-pound truck made a right turn on to Morley. The 27-year-old was struck and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
"I knew it was going to be bad, but it never entered my mind that I would never see my child again," her mother Diane Henderson Francis said.
Powell's family said she worked at Hobby Airport and lived nearby. She rode her tricycle she was gifted by her mother to and from her job while she worked toward getting her driver's license.
"Everybody is in such a rush to do this or to do that, but when something happens like this, there's no taking it back," Francis said. "It's not a video game. You can't restart it. It's with you forever. She was on the sidewalk. She had on reflective gear, because she used it for her job. She still had it on. She was wearing it when I went to the hospital to see her.'"
The 27-year-old's family is heartbroken. They said they could always count on Powell for a laugh or to send the first text in their family group message every day.
"It's just a tragic loss, because she had plans for her life," her mother said.
Powell's family hopes that Republic Waste Services of Texas will install safety equipment on their trucks that allows drivers to see their surroundings.
"We were told he said he didn't see her or didn't feel it but I'm like 'How?'" Francis asked. "This wasn't a small bike. She wasn't a small person."
Powell's family is seeking damages over $1 million, their attorneys said.
Republic Waste Services of Texas has declined to comment because of pending litigation.
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