HOUSTON — The mother of a young cyclist killed by a garbage truck is calling for change.
Diane Henderson-Francis said her daughter, Bre'Ana Powell, 27, had just gotten her first apartment and was working overnights at Hobby Airport. She would text her mom every morning to let her know she got home, but on the morning of Oct. 8, she never made it.
“What does it take? For their family member to go through this? Because I mean, how would they feel?” said Diane Henderson-Francis, her mother. “I think he should face something. He took my child’s life.”
RELATED: Family files lawsuit against company whose garbage truck driver hit, killed young woman on bicycle
The driver of the garbage truck who hit and killed Powell has not been charged with a crime. He was questioned and released from the scene.
She was riding her bike home that Saturday morning when Houston police said the driver was stopped at a red light on Broadway and Morley. He turned right and hit Powell, who was wearing a safety vest.
“You drive one of the biggest trucks, the most dangerous trucks ... why is there not more technology on it?" Henderson-Francis said.
Powell’s family filed a million-dollar lawsuit against the truck’s owner: Republic Waste Services of Texas. They claim the driver did not use his turn signal so Powell would not have known he was going to cross her path.
However, according to the police report, the driver told police he did use his signal. KHOU 11 reached out to the company, but a spokesperson told us they could not comment on pending litigation.
“She called and texted every morning, every night," Bre'Ana's sister, Jaleyah Francis, said.
She said no one can replace Powell. In addition to working at the airport in traffic control, she worked at NRG and was planning to start a new security job at Minute Maid Park. They said she rode her bike every day, but the month she died she was finally set to get her driver’s license.
“They shouldn’t wait until tragedy strikes to make change. It’s just senseless to me," Henderson-Francis said.