Truck driver loses control in San Francisco's Richmond District injuring pedestrians

Lilian Kim Image
ByLilian Kim KGO logo
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
A truck driver making deliveries lost control on busy Geary Boulevard and hit two pedestrians and a car with a family inside.
A truck driver making deliveries lost control on busy Geary Boulevard and hit two pedestrians and a car with a family inside.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A truck driver making deliveries lost control on busy Geary Boulevard and hit two pedestrians and a car with a family inside.

The accident shut down eastbound Geary near 21st Avenue in San Francisco's Richmond District for several hours this evening.

"Oh my God, my adrenaline was totally rushing. It was crazy," said Heather King. King and her family had the scare of their lives when a delivery truck slammed into their car.

"The door, yeah it got smooshed in," said King's son Alden.

Fortunately, all five family members were okay, but two elderly pedestrians on the sidewalk were injured.

The driver of the delivery truck plowed into them when police say he lost control crossing Geary Boulevard.

"As soon as I looked back and saw that my kids were okay, they weren't dead, like, I got them out of the car and then I ran over to see the guy that got hit because he flung about 10 to 15 feet," said King.

That pedestrian, a 79-year-old man, is now in critical condition. He underwent surgery for internal bleeding, while a 66-year-old man is recovering from a broken rib and a punctured lung.

As for the truck driver, police detained him while they waited for a Cantonese translator, but it appeared officers had a pretty good idea of what happened early on.

Police say the driver of the truck was on 21st Avenue when he entered Geary Boulevard. According to what officers could tell from security video, the light was red.

When asked if he was speeding, SFPD Sgt. John Bragagnolo replied, "It appears so but we really can't tell from the video, but we do know at least we believe it was against a red light."