Amazon.com Widgets

»In which there's no crime here at all

(01-26) 21:17 PST San Francisco -- A pedestrian was struck and killed in a crosswalk at the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Santiago St. in San Francisco tonight.

The woman was walking westbound across Sunset when a man driving a Toyota Corolla south on Sunset struck her at about 6:15 p.m. The woman was taken to San Francisco General Hospital where she died. Her name was withheld, pending notification of her family.

The driver had no stoplight or stop sign and stopped after hitting the pedestrian, and police said the incident was just a tragic accident.

"It doesn't look like he was speeding or under the influence or anything like that," said Sgt. Renee Pagano. "There's no crime here at all."

21950. (a) The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter. (b) The provisions of this section shall not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for his or her safety. No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard. No pedestrian shall unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a marked or unmarked crosswalk. (c) The provisions of subdivision (b) shall not relieve a driver of a vehicle from the duty of exercising due care for the safety of any pedestrian within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.

One could ask WalkSF whether there's no crime in failing to stop at a marked intersection, striking a pedestrian, and killing that person, but at this point any reasonable person would realise the exercise is rhetorical. The intersection of Sunset and Santiago has clearly-marked crosswalks, with lights to illuminate.

salim filed this under vs at 06h02 Tuesday, 27 January 2009 (link) (Yr two bits?)