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Uploaded: Thursday, December 30, 2010, 11:57 AM
Fatal bus accident similar to 2007 crosswalk incident
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Today's fatal bus/pedestrian crash is similar to a bus/pedestrian accident in late October 2007, when an 86-year-old man was initially believed to have been knocked down by a left-turning SamTrans bus as he was crossing University Avenue at Webster Street. The man survived the fall.
In that case, Kin-Jian Huo, a resident of Lytton Gardens, suffered a skull fracture at 9:44 a.m.
The bus driver said he thought the man fell on his own. Police at the time said they planned to file a complaint against the driver for failing to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk.
The driver was suspended but later reinstated following an arbitration hearing.
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Posted by move the busses, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Dec 30, 2010 at 7:50 pm If the city wants to make University Avenue more pedestrian friendly, they have to get the trucks and buses off the street. Move them to Lytton or Hamilton. University is too dangerous for pedestrians right now. How can pedestrians visit businesses on both sides of the street if they cannot trust the crosswalks?
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Posted by Resident, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Dec 31, 2010 at 11:33 am One of the sad facts is that people tend to cross the street just because the little man says cross without waiting for all the vehicles to stop first - then occasionally they don't stop and that's when these types of accidents happen.
The bus driver had the green light, then turned left. I feel very sorry for the family of the lady who was killed but I also feel sorry for the bus drive.
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Posted by move the busses, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Dec 31, 2010 at 2:40 pm Don't blame the victim!
Most pedestrians do look left and right before entering a crosswalk. However, because of all the cross traffic and the distance and angle, pedestrians often cannot see cars that are turning into their path until the car is right on top of them. Then because of the speed and size of the car, there is nothing the pedestrian can do to get out of the way.
Car (and truck and bus) drivers need to be especially careful when turning across crosswalks. Slow down and check the crosswalk just before you reach it, not just when you start your turn, since your view of the crosswalk is often obstructed from the far side of the intersection. And don't just watch for gaps in traffic to squeeze through. It is your responsibility to check the crosswalks as well. If you are unable to do that, then you should not be driving.
Drivers know there are a lot of pedestrians around University Avenue. There is no execuse for these casualties.
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Posted by palo alto mom, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Jan 2, 2011 at 5:24 pm Perhaps the lights on University need to have a "walk only" time like the ones on Embarcadero.
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