SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — There’s a growing call to make streets safer following yet another pedestrian death in San Francisco.
On Wednesday, a pedestrian who was crossing the street in the area of Valencia and 18th streets was struck by a vehicle, according to the San Francisco Police Department. After receiving medical aid at the scene, the pedestrian was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries but later died from his injuries.
The victim has been identified as Jian Huang, 80, of San Francisco, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. This marks the city’s 14th pedestrian death of the year.
Police said the driver who struck Huang remained at the scene, and impairment due to drugs and alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the fatal collision.
According to the organization Walk San Francisco, Huang was crossing Valencia Street when an SUV making a left turn onto Valencia from 18th Street struck him in the crosswalk. The organization said left turns are especially dangerous because drivers are “more likely to make it at a higher speed and cut corners because they have a wider radius than with a right turn.” In 2019, 40 percent of pedestrians killed in San Francisco were in the crosswalk and hit by drivers making left turns, according to the San Francisco Mass Transit Authority.
“While the City has been investing in meaningful changes on Valencia, it has to go farther,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF.
On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the SFMTA is scheduled to present an assessment of 900 intersections in the city to the Board of Supervisors for a look at how safety can be improved.
