PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 27, 2026
CONTACT: Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director, Walk SF, jodie@walksf.org, 415.596.1580; Marta Lindsey, Communications Director, Walk SF, marta@walksf.org, 617.833.7654
Pedestrian killed by driver in the Mission District marks ninth pedestrian death this year
Almost all traffic deaths have been pedestrians
San Francisco, Calif. – Walk SF learned from the San Francisco Police Department that a pedestrian was fatally hit by a driver on May 25, 2026, on Mission Street near 16th Street in the Mission neighborhood in District 9. No additional information is available at this time.
“We hold the victim and their loved ones in our thoughts, and grieve this loss of life on San Francisco’s streets,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director for Walk San Francisco. “We all deserve to be able to get around safely in our city.”
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. Resources, including post-crash checklists in English, Chinese, Spanish, and Tagalog, are available at walksf.org/fss.
There have now been nine pedestrians killed in San Francisco in 2026. The first pedestrian death in 2026 was a 76-year-old woman on February 3rd at Bayshore Boulevard & Silver Avenue in District 10. The second was a 47-year-old woman who was hit and killed at Bayshore Boulevard and Arleta Avenue on February 14th in District 10. The third was a two-year-old child who was hit and killed by a driver on February 27th, 2026 at the intersection of 4th and Channel Streets in District 6. The fourth was a 42-year-old pedestrian who was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver on March 5th at the intersection of Mission Street and Naglee Avenue in the Outer Mission neighborhood in District 11. The fifth was a 46-year-old pedestrian who was fatally struck on March 5th on the sidewalk near Broadway and Kearny in the North Beach neighborhood in District 3. The sixth was a 57-year-old pedestrian who was fatally struck by a MUNI bus on Geary Avenue between Kearny and Grant Streets. The seventh was 49-year-old Cuthberto Zamora, who was fatally struck on the sidewalk near the intersection of Jackson & Beckett Streets in the Chinatown neighborhood in District 3. The eighth was 74-year-old Dannielle Spillman, who was hit and killed near the intersection of Mission Street and South Van Ness in District 6 on April 13th.
According to the City’s traffic fatality tracker and most recent traffic fatality report, all but one traffic death this year was a pedestrian; no motorists have died in traffic crashes.
“The fact that almost every single traffic death so far this year has been a pedestrian is extremely alarming,” said Medeiros. “People inside vehicles have never been safer, while those of us walking are more at risk than ever. It shouldn’t be life or death to walk in San Francisco. But too often as pedestrians, we face dangerous streets, vehicles, and drivers.”
The intersection of Mission and 16th Streets is a very busy residential and commercial hub, with many businesses, MUNI stops, and a BART station and high numbers of pedestrians. Mission Street and 16th Street are both on the city’s latest 2024 “high-injury network” map, the 13% of San Francisco streets that account for 74% of serious traffic injuries and deaths. Mission Street and 16th Street have been on the high-injury network since the first one was released by the City in 2015.
This is the third pedestrian fatality on Mission Street this year. On March 5th, a 42-year-old pedestrian was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver at the intersection of Mission Street and Naglee Avenue in the Outer Mission neighborhood. On April 13th, 74-year-old Dannielle Spillman was hit and killed near the intersection of Mission Street and South Van Ness in District 6, four blocks away from Mission and 16th Streets.
“The last trend we want San Francisco to mirror is the national trend on pedestrian deaths,” said Medeiros. Nationally, pedestrian deaths have been increasing at a far faster rate than overall traffic fatalities. Between 2009 and 2023, pedestrian deaths surged by approximately 80%, while all other traffic fatalities increased by only 13%.
Major contributors to the rapid rise in pedestrian deaths are the rise in dangerous driving behaviors (especially speeding), plus the notable increase in size and weight of vehicles. In combination, these are likely deadly for a pedestrian if they are hit.
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. This study doesn’t account for how much larger and heavier vehicles are today. The average American passenger vehicle is now 8 inches taller and 1,000 pounds heavier than it was three decades ago. SUVs and trucks are now the dominant type of vehicle, making up almost 75% of the market share.
“We need San Francisco to be the national leader in protecting pedestrians,” said Medeiros. “Our leaders hold the power to do that. We’re looking for them to bring the layers of solutions needed. Humans are fragile.”
Walk San Francisco has been watchdogging progress on both the Street Safety Act passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in September and the Street Safety Initiative executive directive signed by Mayor Daniel Lurie on December 15, 2025.
Mayor Lurie launched his new Safe Streets Task Force within the Mayor’s Office in March, which represents a major step for San Francisco in elevating traffic safety.
On June 15, Mayor Lurie is scheduled to deliver a range of six-month actions in his Street Safety Initiative. These include:
- Launching a public dashboard showing commitments and progress on key deliverables for safe streets.
- Developing a process to add a suite of safety improvements whenever a street is repaved or other street-level work happens so that streets are made safer in the most efficient ways
- Establishing design standards and maximum review periods agreed to by the Fire Department and SFMTA so traffic calming projects are implemented faster.
- Ensuring consistent vehicle driver training for city employees and the installation of telematics that further the goals of this Executive Directive. Note: A report shows that many city employees are driving dangerously, especially regarding speeding.
- Releasing a Traffic Enforcement Strategy Report identifying top crash-causing behaviors and corresponding enforcement focus.
- Launching a process for residents and community groups to add murals, planters, and other infrastructure into daylit areas at intersections.
- Developing a plan for promoting and enforcing safe e-device (e-scooter, e-bicycle, etc.) operations and parking.
“We’re grateful that Mayor Lurie is making traffic safety a priority, and has committed his office and City agencies to deliver a lot more to prevent these tragedies,” said Medeiros. “Mayor Lurie’s Street Safety Initiative includes much of what’s needed to accelerate progress toward Vision Zero.”
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Walk San Francisco (‘Walk SF’) advocates on behalf of all pedestrians in San Francisco. Since its founding in 1998, Walk SF has successfully pushed for solutions to design and enforce streets where people of all ages and abilities are safe walking. 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.