The San Francisco Police Department has confirmed that one of its officers struck and killed a man early Saturday morning while driving near Bayshore Boulevard and Industrial Street, next to Highway 101 in the Bayview.
The collision occurred at approximately 6:19 a.m., according to the department. The man succumbed to his injuries, and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Call records to emergency dispatchers indicate that the man was lying in the middle of the street near the Lowe’s Home Improvement store after purportedly being hit by the officer’s car. It is unclear if the officer was on duty.
Medics responded to the area for an “adult male with trauma injuries in critical condition,” according to a fire department spokesperson. Mission Local has queried the medical examiner for the identity of the victim.
The city was battered with heavy rains and winds this morning, and an emergency alert for a tornado was issued just before 6 a.m., warning residents to take cover. The Bayview intersection where the crash occurred is part of the city’s High-Injury Network, where the majority of traffic collisions with injuries and fatalities occur.
This death is the city’s 39th traffic death this year, and the city continues to fail in its goal to reduce, much less eliminate, traffic fatalities.
This is a developing story and may be updated. The number of traffic fatalities has been updated; a prior version of this story referred to a city count that was not current.
CVC §21954
(a) Every pedestrian upon a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway so near as to constitute an immediate hazard.
(b) The provisions of this section shall not relieve the driver of a vehicle from the duty to exercise due care for the safety of any pedestrian upon a roadway.
CVC §20001
A felony hit and run occurs when a driver causes injury or death to another person in a vehicle accident. Penalties include:
A minimum of 90 days in jail
Up to four years in state prison
A fine of up to $10,000
Victim restitution
Geneva and Mission streets are becoming dangerous for pedestrians crossing the streets.
We were at 32 traffic deaths in November and have had two pedestrian fatalities since then, so I thought we were at 34 total now. According to WalkSF, this is the 23rd pedestrian killed by a driver this year, which is shocking.
Well that’s not good.
It sickens my stomach to read some of these comments. Why are all the doubts cast on the victim and not the perpetrator? There are negative assumptions commented here on the character of the victim AND the facts of the incident that are frankly, all grey water. This was a hit and run. Being that the driver represents a higher authority, they should be held to a higher standard of accountability.
That being said, the victim was a beloved family member and a respected part of a bonded affiliation.
I often drive in that area and every time i have to watch for people crossing the street in the middle of nowhere, most of the time the people are homeless or are locals making their own rules regarding crossing at red lights, etc… It is sad and unfortunate that this is happening but what can be done? banned driving on Bayshore Blvd in addition to the 14000 spaces they eliminated in the city? people stoned or on the phone should pay more attention to start with ; you can ban cars altogether, but they will still manage to get hit by a bus. Cynical and sad but reality.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the poor driver at this difficult time. What a traumatic experience. Pedestrians need to take personal responsibility and exercise common sense, especially in inclement weather and low visibility conditions.
Why not ask drivers to take responsibility? Especially in inclement weather! 23 pedestrians have been killed by drivers this year; half of them were over the age of 65. We can reach zero pedestrian deaths in this city (or at least single digit numbers), but only if drivers and politicians take accountability and finally join the fight to make our streets safer for everyone.
My parents taught me to look both ways when crossing the street. I have never been hit by a car or bike in my 70+ years of living in this city. Pedestrians need to take responsibility for their own safety by getting their face out of their phone and looking around. Yes, there are times when it’s not their fault but if they are more aware of their surroundings, there would be less accidents and deaths.
Pedestrians aren’t crashing into Mission storefronts or wiping out entire families in West Portal. Instead of blaming the victims, let’s hold drivers and politicians accountable for the dangerous streets they’ve created. Speeding cars, distracted drivers, ignoring traffic signs, and running through crosswalks while pedestrians are crossing—these are what have been killing our neighbors and local businesses, not the “distracted pedestrian” that gets mentioned every time another person gets killed while crossing a street. I have yet to hear about a single pedestrian that was killed this year because they looked at their phone. Not a single incident, yet it always comes up in the comments.
The west portal incident was an elderly driver who mistook the pedals, gas and brake. Comparing that to speeding or any other type of negligence is itself entirely negligent.
Go figure, anti-car activists again.