PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 28, 2025
CONTACT: Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director, Walk SF, jodie@walksf.org, 415.596.1580
Woman hit at Geary Boulevard & 39th while crossing marks third pedestrian death this year
Intersection is highly dangerous due to wide street, frequent speeding, and no signal
San Francisco, Calif. – Walk SF learned from the San Francisco Police Department that a 77-year-old female who was hit by a driver on March 14, 2025, at the intersection of Geary Boulevard and 39th Avenue succumbed to her injuries on March 27, 2025. No additional information is available at this time.
“We grieve the loss of life on our streets, and are heartbroken for this woman’s loved ones,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk San Francisco. “We hold the victim and her loved ones in our thoughts.”
Walk San Francisco (Walk SF) and San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets (Families for Safe Streets) are here to support the friends and loved ones of the victim however possible.
On December 1, 2020, 68-year-old Lawrence Holman was killed just one block away at Geary Boulevard and 38th Avenue. Lawrence Holman was crossing Geary Boulevard when he was hit.
The intersection of Geary and 39th is inherently dangerous for pedestrians. Geary Boulevard is very wide, with four travel lanes and no traffic light signals nor stop signs at 39th. Pedestrians must cross a long distance, and drivers often speed in this quieter section of Geary Boulevard despite a new 25 MPH speed limit. Geary Boulevard just got a speed camera, but it is on Geary between 7th and 8th. A flashing pedestrian beacon was installed at Geary Boulevard and 38th in August.
This is the third pedestrian death in San Francisco so far this year. The first was an 81-year-old man who was killed by a hit-and-run driver on January 4, 2025 at the intersection of Silver Avenue and Colby Street. The second was a 77-year-old woman who was hit by a driver on
January 21, 2025 at the intersection of Carter Street and Geneva Avenue and passed on January 28, 2025.
24 people were killed while walking in San Francisco in 2024, the highest number in a decade. A total of 42 people were killed in traffic crashes in San Francisco in 2024, the highest number since 2007.
While Walk SF does not have crash details to know if speeding was a factor in this crash, speeding is the #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco. The faster a driver is going, the more likely a crash is to occur. A driver has a smaller scope of vision, less time to react, and can’t stop the vehicle as quickly. With vehicles larger, heavier, and more powerful than ever – plus drivers more distracted – the stakes with speeding have never been higher.
“Speed cameras will save lives, and we’re so glad these are now here,” said Medeiros. “Now it’s time for the City to double-down in bringing other speed-slowing solutions to our streets,” said Medeiros. “Safe speeds are essential for ending these tragedies.”
Walk SF is asking City leaders to commit to a suite of actions to reduce dangerous speeds citywide. These include: lowering speed limits by 5 MPH on every eligible high-injury and commercial street; creating a proactive program for installing speed humps and cushions across neighborhoods; redesigning the widest, one-way streets with the deadliest speeds; and installing ‘turn calming’ at all eligible high-injury intersections to better protect pedestrians from turning drivers. Learn more.
“Last year was the deadliest year in a decade for traffic fatalities in San Francisco,” said Medeiros. “City leaders must take every possible action to turn things around and bring Vision Zero back into focus – and that means focusing on speeding.”
The most frequently cited study on speed and risk of fatality shows that at 25 MPH and under, a person has a less than 1 in 4 chance of being severely injured or killed if they are hit. But by 40 MPH, this flips, with 75% of pedestrians suffering life-threatening injuries or dying.
Walk San Francisco is also urging the SFMTA to commit to painting ‘daylighting’ at all intersections in San Francisco by December 2026. Daylighting removes parking next to intersections to ensure clear sightlines, and reduces crashes by 30%. Learn more.
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Walk San Francisco (‘Walk SF’) advocates for safe streets for everyone who walks, which is everyone. Since our founding in 1998, Walk SF has been leading the way to make San Francisco a pedestrian-first city where people of every age and ability can walk safely. Learn more.
San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets is a group of people who have been directly affected by traffic crashes, including crash survivors and people whose loved ones have been killed or injured in traffic crashes. Learn more.