Updated 6/22 with the name of the driver.
The SFPD has filed misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges against the truck driver who killed 61-year-old Rose Kelly in a crosswalk in the Outer Richmond yesterday afternoon. It's now up to District Attorney George Gascón to follow through with the prosecution.
Kelly was walking east in a crosswalk on Cabrillo Street at 33rd Avenue when she was hit by a GMC truck driver at 1:21 p.m, SFPD told the SF Chronicle and Bay City News. Kelly died from chest and head injuries at SF General Hospital.
Kelly was killed at an intersection with four-way stop signs, where pedestrians always have the right-of-way in a crosswalk. [Update] SFPD officials confirmed that the charges were filed against the driver, Bing Zuo Wu, a 62-year-old SF resident.
Walk SF Executive Director Nicole Ferrara said the organization "sends our regards to the family and friends who are mourning the loss of Rose Kelly, who was killed by a large vehicle driver who failed to yield."
"It's a stark reminder that large vehicles result in more severe crashes than smaller vehicles," Ferrara noted, pointing out that the SFMTA is in "the final stages of developing a large vehicle training curriculum" announced in February. "It's in the best interest of companies that use large vehicles to require that all employees take this training."
In January 2014, the SFPD's top brass committed to Vision Zero and pledged to cite and arrest drivers when an investigation determines fault in a fatal crash. DA Gascón also proposed the creation of a vehicular manslaughter unit to ensure his office can respond "swiftly and appropriately" to such cases when they're submitted by the SFPD. Only enough funding was approved in the DA's budget, however, to hire a prosecutor who specializes in vehicular manslaughter but also works on other cases.
Historically, very few drivers who kill people have faced legal penalties unless they were drunk or fled the scene. Since the policy changes announced by the SFPD and the DA, only a handful of drivers have been charged in such cases, and many drivers still face little-to-no penalty for killing -- even when they were drunk.
