PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
CONTACT: Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director, Walk SF, jodie@walksf.org, 415.596.1580
Pedestrian killed this morning in SOMA marks second pedestrian fatality in neighborhood in 2026
Twelve pedestrian deaths in San Francisco already this year
San Francisco, Calif. – Walk SF learned from the San Francisco Police Department that a 57-year-old pedestrian was killed by a driver on the morning of July 14, 2026 on 6th St near Howard St in the SOMA neighborhood. No additional crash information is available at this time.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s loved ones,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director for Walk San Francisco. “Walking should not be life or death in San Francisco.”
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 twelve pedestrian deaths 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 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 a pedestrian who was fatally hit by a driver on May 25th on Mission Street near 16th Street in the Mission neighborhood in District 9. The ninth and tenth were on June 3, 61-year-old Cheryl Coleman was hit and killed on 7th Street between Brannan and Townsend in the SOMA neighborhood (District 6) and 26-year-old Edson Garay was killed at Geneva Avenue and Paris Street in the Ingleside neighborhood (District 11). The eleventh was on June 12th, a pedestrian was killed at California St. between Hyde and Larkin in District 3.
According to the City’s traffic fatality tracker, twelve of fifteen killed in all traffic crashes this year were pedestrians. The City’s traffic fatality tracker can be viewed here, note that information is not up-to-the-minute.
“This statistic underscores just how vulnerable we are as pedestrians and the need for more solutions to keep us safe, especially children, seniors, and people with disabilities,” said Medeiros. “Traffic safety affects every one of us, every day. We should never have to worry we may be risking our lives getting around San Francisco.”
The crash marks the second fatality at 6th St. and Howard St. in under a year. A 78-year old man walking was killed at 6th and Howard on August 10, 2025.
Howard Street received safety improvements in 2020 through the Howard Street Quick-Build Project, which reduced the number of vehicle lanes, added a parking-protected bike lane, daylit intersections, and widened crosswalks. Howard St between 11th & 4th Streets are slated for more safety improvements with construction planned for later this year.
6th Street received safety improvements through the 6th Street Pedestrian Safety Project, completed in August of 2025. The project included daylighting, left-turn restrictions, lane reduction, and painted safety zones, installed on 6th street between Market St. and Howard St. Longer-term infrastructure improvements included a reduction in the number of vehicle lanes (from four to three); widening of sidewalks on both sides of the street; installation of curb bulb-outs, new traffic signals and crosswalk striping; streetscape beautification and roadway painting.
Both 6th St. and Howard Sts. are on the city’s High Injury Network, 13% of city streets where 74 percent of serious traffic injuries or fatalities occur. The SOMA neighborhood is one of the most dense in the city, with low car ownership. SOMA streets need to be designed for the safety of people walking. .
“The SOMA neighborhood is a hotspot for deadly streets, with every single street on the high-injury network,” said Medeiros. “This neighborhood and everyone who lives there deserves more solutions to keep them safe.”
“While we don’t have any details on this pedestrian death yet, here’s what we know. We’re seeing more dangerous driving behaviors than ever, especially speeding, red light running, and running stop signs,” said Medeiros. “The fact that cars, SUVs, and trucks are so much bigger, heavier, and more powerful, is making it even more dangerous for those of us outside the vehicle.”
“How safe we are depends on street design, vehicle design, and driver behavior,” said Medeiros. “This is a problem with solutions, but many are needed given the scale of the threat.”
Walk San Francisco is actively exploring the expansion of San Francisco’s speed camera program, which is proving highly successful after a year of the pilot. The share of drivers speeding 10 MPH or more is down nearly 80% across camera locations, and about two-thirds of drivers who have received a warning or citation did not get another one.
In May, District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey introduced a resolution to the Board urging the City to pursue expanding the program. The resolution passed out of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee on July 9 and is expected to be voted on by the full Board of Supervisors Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The resolution already has the support of Supervisors Sherrill, Sauter, Wong, Mahmood, Melgar, and Mandelman.
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 which recently reached its six-month milestone.
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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.