Pedestrian Seriously Injured by N-Judah Train at Judah and 16th Ave

4:04 PM PDT on May 21, 2014

The crash scene on Judah, looking west from 15th Avenue. Photo: Aaron Bialick

Updated 8:07 p.m. The SFPD issued this statement:

An outbound N Judah LRV (Light Rail Vehicle) heading W/B on Judah was crossing 15th St. For unknown reason a pedestrian seen standing on the inbound or eastbound Judah line platform walked out and contacted the rear of the 2nd car and then fell to the ground. The pedestrian suffered a head laceration and trauma and is now at SFGH currently in the operating room and should be in ICU later to night. He is listed with life threatening injuries. The pedestrian is a 29 year old male.

A pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries after being hit by a westbound N-Judah train at Judah Street and 16th Avenue in the Inner Sunset at about 2:12 p.m., according to the SFPD. Police at the scene said they had no information available about the victim, or how the crash occurred.

The N-Judah is currently shut down, and Muni is running shuttle bus service instead.

At the scene, police were investigating the crash, with the train stopped on the uphill crest approaching the N's 16th Avenue stop, where visibility can be hindered by the sudden change in grade. N-Judah operators often run the three-block stretch between the Funston and 16th Avenue stops at higher than normal speeds, picking up momentum to help the train climb the crest. There are no stop signs or traffic signals on that stretch of Judah, and the train was stopped between the crosswalks at 15th and 16th Avenues.

SFPD said the victim was taken to SF General Hospital.

Aaron Bialick @

Aaron was the editor of Streetsblog San Francisco from January 2012 until October 2015. He joined Streetsblog in 2010 after studying rhetoric and political communication at SF State University and spending a semester in Denmark.