- Sher Kung was hit by a truck making a left turn in Seattle on Friday
- The tragedy comes just two weeks before the city plans to make safety changes for cyclists at the intersection
- Kung was on the team of lawyers who successfully represented Margaret Witt, who was discharged from the military for being gay in 2004
- Kung and her partner welcomed a baby daughter earlier this year
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A top Seattle lawyer has died after a truck crashed into her bike - leaving her partner to bring up their seven-month-old daughter alone.
Sher Kung, 31, was riding in the bike lane along Second Avenue in the city on Friday morning when a truck made a left turn and struck her. She died at the scene.
The tragic accident came less than two weeks before the city plans to improve safety for cyclists at the intersection, including adding a protected lane and a separate signal,King5 reported.
The young lawyer, described by her firm Perkins Coie as 'one of our brightest young lawyers', had welcomed her first child, Bryn, with her fiancee Christine Sanders in February.
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Tragedy: 31-year-oldSher Kung, who welcomed a baby daughter with her partner earlier this year, was killed by a truck as she rode her bicycle in downtown Seattle last Friday
Loved: Kung, pictured with her fiancee Christine Sanders, was a top lawyer who had worked for LGBT issues
She was 'an exceptional lawyer and a wonderful comrade, with boundless energy, legal brilliance and relentless optimism,' Perkins Coie said in a statement on Saturday, the Seattle Times reported.
'Our hearts go out to her partner and their child, her extended family, and her many friends.'
Most famously, Kung was part of the American Civil Liberties Union trial team that successfully challenged the military's 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy.
In September 2010, she helped the ACLU represent Air Force Major Margaret Witt, a nurse who was fired from the military in 2004 for being gay. The court ordered the military to give Witt her job back.
Adored: She shared numerous photographs of her welcoming baby Bryn to the family earlier this year
Happy: Sanders, 37, has now been left to bring up the seven-month-old girl alone
Loved up: A photograph shared on Kung's Facebook at the start of last year shows her proposing
In photos of Witt and her partner Laurie McChesney celebrating after their victory outside court in Tacoma, a fresh-faced Kung can be seen grinning beside them.
More recently, Kung worked on intellectual-property issues and educational materials that helped educate farmworkers about their rights, the Seattle Times reported.
She had received her bachelor's degree from Brown University and her law degree f rom the University of California, Hastings College of Law.
She met Sanders, 37, more than three years ago and the couple enjoyed an active lifestyle together. In a Facebook post last year, Kung was pictured on one knee proposing to Sanders.
On January 1, Sanders shared an image of her large baby bump with the comment: 'Happy New Year, little bug! At 37 weeks you're officially term and we can't wait to meet you.
Successful: In 2010, Kung, an ACLU lawyer, (right) looks on as Margaret Witt, center, and Witt's partner, Laurie McChesney, celebrate after a judge ruled Witt should get back her job, which she lost for being gay
Tribute: A ghost bike memorial has been left at the intersection where Kung died in downtown Seattle
Loved: A note left on the memorial thanked the young lawyer for her dedicated work on LGBT issues
'I'm not sure how we did it all, but in 2013, we got engaged, bought a house and made a person. In 2014, we solemnly swear we'll accomplish a little less.'
On a fundraising page set up in her memory, friends wrote: 'Sher Kung was a beautiful, active and caring person that was loved by everyone who had the honor of knowing her.
'A life lived with heart, joy, passion, and such soaring love for her family and friends. Her cheery smile, positive attitude and warm, energetic personality will be missed by many.'
The truck driver has cooperated with investigators and showed no sign of impairment, police said.
Friends have left running shoes and t-shirts at the scene, which has been marked by a white bicycle - a ghost bike.
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