Some very sad news today… A 61 year-old woman was struck and killed by a vehicle on Monday while crossing the street at Cabrillo Avenue and 33rd Avenue in the outer Richmond.
The Chronicle reports that the woman, Rose Kelly, was hit by a GMC truck at 1:21 p.m. while in the crosswalk. There is a 4-way stop at this intersection.
The victim suffered chest and head injuries and died at San Francisco General Hospital.
The name of the truck’s driver has not been released, and no arrest was made at the scene. There is a pending SFPD investigation into the incident.
UPDATE 7/22/15: The truck driver, San Francisco resident Bing Zuo Wu, 61, has been cited for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and for failing to yield to a pedestrian. According to San Francisco District Attorney’s Office spokesman Max Szabo, Wu has not been formally charged and since he only received a citation, he will likely be ordered to appear in court within four to six weeks. [SFAppeal]
Sarah B.
My condolences to the family of Rose Kelly. No one should die crossing the street. I look forward to seeing the results of the investigation posted here so we may know how this happened and can learn from it.
I am still trying to figure out how this happened. I live right on that street near the intersection. It is a large intersection with plenty of visibility. This happened in the middle of the day. Unless he deliberately ran the stop sign, I am struggling to see how this could have occurred.
This is such a sad story but, I feel like we are seeing accidents like this more and more in this neighborhood. People are failing to obey simple traffic laws such as stopping at stop signs, and tragedies like this are occurring. I wish that there was something that could be done to remedy this.
Will video camera help deter irresponsible drivers? I heard that in the city of Fremont, there is a camera in 90% of the intersections. Sounds very expensive but something like this might be very helpful.
i live on anza street, which has stop signs at most every block. i hear cars running the stop signs day and night. its pretty brutal & blatant. stay safe everyone.
this is only a citation?? this is wrong.
a citation is like a moving violation. need to take traffic school and pay a fine and is cleared?
@Man of Steel – My understanding is that it will be up to the District Attorney George Gascon whether or not there are criminal charges filed.
Vehicular manslaughter is unfortunately a misdemeanor under state law. Apparently the right to drive holds greater lobbying dollars than the right to walk across the street (perhaps even to ones own parked car).
These aren’t accidents, they are crashes. How killing someone in a crosswalk doesn’t get your license immediately suspended and you thrown in jail is beyond me. You took a human life.
Our Richmond district station is the only SFPD station that has been focusing enforcement on the traffic behaviours that are most dangerous (kudos to Capt Silverman and team) and it still seems to make little difference.
Meanwhile at Geary and 14th comes a ticket defense firm helping to make life safer for these scofflaws.
I realize this particular intersection has a four-way stop, but in general, I think we should all be very concerned about the way crosswalks have been implemented in the City. The fatal flaw in these crosswalks is not having a flashing light to alert drivers that there’s a person in the intersection, and so prepare to brake. You’ll see these crosswalk lights in many smaller CA cities, including Santa Barbara. In Toronto, Canada, every crosswalk has a yellow flashing light activated by either detecting the presence of a person, or by the person manually pushing the crosswalk button. In the many, many stories we read about crosswalk accidents in SF, blame is hurled at either the driver or the pedestrian, depending on the outlook of the commentator. Actually, blame must reside with the City and I think a class action lawsuit should be filed to prevent further deaths and injuries. We have the most dysfunctional and disgraceful level of city government, and this is just one more item you can add to the growing list of mismanagement by the drones in City Hall and elsewhere in city government.
I have a lot of sympathy for the SFPD, as it must be nearly impossible to slow people down going through this neighborhood, but we need to find a way to address this. We all know the situation has gotten worse. Who hasn’t been breezed by while in a crosswalk lately, or felt in fear of their life trying to cross the street? I am young and able – I cannot imagine being a senior and crossing Geary. I’m not sure what has changed – I think vehicles are more powerful, with smoother acceleration and better handling and it is much easier to drive faster and not feel the little bumps. I am for any and all measures to slow people down. Change speed limits, put reflectors at every crosswalk, cameras at every intersection, more and more speed bumps – whatever it takes. If the police cannot enforce it, we need to look at other options.
Agree with Mark, we have a completely dysfunctional city government. Though how a person can not stop for a pedestrian at a 4 way stop and not be in jail is beyond me.
Now people, it is very likely that the driver was at fault. However, comments like he should be in jail are premature. How about waiting until we see a report first?
To the comments about improving cross walks. Who is going to pay for them. Anything other than white lines costs a lot up front and in maintenance.
If you want to get someone’s attention to slow down and stop, raise the fines —a lot.
@JD What are the current fines? They should be at least $500
^For driving into a crosswalk while someone is in it.
“In the early 1990s, The Netherlands adopted Article 185 of the Road Law, which states that in any collision between someone in a motor vehicle and someone not in a motor vehicle, the driver is assumed to be at fault unless they can prove that they were overpowered by circumstances beyond their control.”
(From: http://www.raisethehammer.org/article/2017/our_fast_dangerous_streets_are_killing_senior_citizens_and_children)
It is a load of cr*p that it is premature to think someone should do some time for taking a life – and to hide behind costs, as in oh gosh if only. We are overly permissive when it comes to driver violence and it is killing us, our kids, our parents and grandparents. With some minimal exceptions, this entire neighborhood is residential. That a driver shouldn’t be *expecting* pedestrians, and cyclists, and pets and children chasing a ball, is inexcusable, irresponsible and borderline sociopathic. The suggestion that getting drivers to display the least care being put on people or crosswalks being lit up like a Christmas tree is an exercise in victim blaming.
Strict liability as embodied in the Netherlands Road Law would be a good place to start.
i thought anza was quieter street with less traffic, my condolences to the family..
Deep condolences. This is tragic. Prayers for dear Rose. So sorry. Margaret for the Dow family.
As to Ms. Kelly’s demise, I am deeply empathetic to how her family might be feeling and I hope that she rests in peace.
motherfucker I could strangle this little night school hack DA George Gascon.
— if DA Gascon doesn’t take this to trial I am hiring an investigator to identify this individual. The next step will be the consideration of and the planning for “street justice.”
This my family’s neighborhood and my mother’s regular pedestrian neighborhood and this CANNOT and WILL NOT go unaddressed.
Inner Richmond resident.
(not rhetorical)