PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2024
CONTACT: Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director, Walk SF, jodie@walksf.org, 415.596.1580 (cell); Marta Lindsey, Communications Director, Walk SF, marta@walksf.org, 617.833.7654
Man hit and killed at Mission and Cortland marks 10th pedestrian fatality this year
Walk SF will have vigil for all pedestrians victims at the crash site tomorrow at 5:00 PM
San Francisco, Calif. –Walk SF learned from the SF Police Department that on June 10, 2024, a 41-year-old man was fatally hit by a hit-and-run driver at Mission Street and Cortland Avenue. Walk San Francisco has no additional details at this time.
“Our hearts break for a precious life lost in a traffic crash. We hold the victim and their loved ones in our thoughts,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk San Francisco.
Walk San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets community stand ready to support the friends and loved ones of the victim however possible.
There have now been ten pedestrian deaths in San Francisco so far in 2024.
The first pedestrian death in 2024 was a 63-year-old man on January 31st at Fulton and Arguello. The second was a 31-year-old man, David Bridges Jr., who was hit and killed at 6th and Bryant Street on February 8, 2024 by a hit-and-run driver. The third was a 76-year-old man who was hit crossing at Alemany Boulevard at Rousseau Street in the Excelsior neighborhood on February 25, 2024. The fourth was Michael Lukehart, a 41-year-old man who was fatally hit by a driver on March 2, 2024 at the intersection of Golden Gate Avenue and Hyde Street. The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth deaths were those of Diego Cardoso de Oliveira (40); Matilde Moncado Ramos Pinto (38); Joaquim Ramos Pinto de Oliveira (2); and Cauê Ramos Pinto de Oliveira (3 months), who were killed while waiting at a West Portal bus stop on March 16, 2024. The ninth death was a man who was hit while crossing Ellis Street near Jones Street on May 23, 2024.
“The person killed at Mission and Cortland is not just a number, but a human life lost. Every life lost on San Francisco streets matters,” said Medeiros. “We can’t let these tragedies go by unnoticed. The people of San Francisco need to know what’s happening so they demand change.”
Walk SF and San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets will visit Mission and Cortland on Thursday, June 13 at 5:00PM to create a memorial for the victim and all traffic victims in 2024.
Mission Street and most of Cortland Avenue are on the City’s “high-injury network,” the 12% of streets where 68% of traffic crashes occur. The intersection where the crash occurred has high numbers of people walking, especially because of three Muni bus routes and Dolores Huerta Elementary School.
“Every time someone is severely injured or killed in a traffic crash, it should be an alarm bell for our city leaders. Traffic safety needs to be a top priority for them,” said Medeiros. “While important progress has been made by the City in designing streets to keep us safe, the pace and scale isn’t enough given the threats we all face when walking.”
17 people were killed while walking in San Francisco in 2023. Pedestrians accounted for 65% of all traffic-related fatalities. A preliminary report from the SF Department of Public Health shows that pedestrians continue to be the most vulnerable people using San Francisco streets. Nationally, pedestrian deaths are at a 40-year historic high.
“Walking in San Francisco shouldn’t be life-or-death,” said Medeiros. “Every possible solution is needed to design and enforce streets so we are all safe, every time we walk out our doors.”
Speed is the #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco, and as vehicles become larger, heavier, and more powerful, the stakes with driving fast become even higher for a pedestrian if they are hit.
Pedestrians are highly vulnerable as speed rises above 25 MPH. 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. And the larger and heavier a vehicle is, the more likely a crash is to kill.
San Francisco will launch 33 speed cameras in early 2025. Beyond speed cameras, Walk SF is asking for the City to take additional actions to address dangerous speeding. Read more.
Walk SF is sponsoring State Senator Scott Wiener’s bills, SB 960 and SB 961.
SB 960 would hold our state transportation department, Caltrans, accountable for designing its surface roads to be ‘Complete Streets’ for the most vulnerable users: people walking, biking, and taking transit. ‘Complete Streets’ elements include accessibility features, better sidewalks and crosswalks, street trees, and lighting.
Cities all over the state including San Francisco have Caltrans roads running through neighborhoods. Here in San Francisco, Park Presidio, Lombard Street, 19th Avenue, Skyline Boulevard, Van Ness Avenue, Sloat Boulevard, and San Jose Avenue are overseen by Caltrans. These are all designated high-injury streets because of crash rates and have long-needed safer designs.
SB 961 would require all cars and trucks manufactured or sold in California starting in 2027 (except emergency vehicles) to have ‘Intelligent Speed Assistance’ technology. All new vehicles in Europe will have this starting this summer. SB 961 would require audio and visual warnings to the driver when the vehicle is being operated in excess of 10 MPH over the speed limit. On May 21, SB 961 passed out of the State Senate and will now make its way to the Assembly.
Citywide, around 30 people are killed and more than 500 severely injured each year on San Francisco streets. Older adults make up 50% of these fatalities annually.
San Francisco just reached the ten-year anniversary of committing to Vision Zero, a proactive approach to end severe and fatal traffic crashes that’s been proven successful in many places around the world.
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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.