A man in a wheelchair was struck by a car in a hit and run on University Avenue Saturday morning. The suspect in the felony incident is still at large, according to police.
Police received a call at 4:35 a.m. on June 1 from a witness who said that a hit and run had taken place in the 1300 block of University Avenue, according to a police press release.
When officers arrived on scene, a man described as a Palo Alto resident in his fifties was lying in the grass near the sidewalk. His broken wheelchair and personal belongings were “strewn about the area,” the press release stated.
He was taken to a local hospital, and as of Wednesday morning, his injuries were not life-threatening.
The man had been traveling westbound on University Avenue near the shoulder of the road. The car, heading in the same direction on University, struck him from behind. A witness reported that the suspect driving the car immediately fled the scene at a “high rate of speed” and continued westbound down University.
The fleeing vehicle was a white Toyota Yaris between the model years of 2007 and 2011 and the driver was male. The front passenger side corner of the car will be damaged.
Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating the suspect and/or suspect vehicle. Anyone with information about the collision is asked to call the Palo Alto police department’s 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.
The article says the victim was on the shoulder of the road when he was hit. University Ave has marked bike lanes in this area, so I assume he was using the bike lane, which wheelchair users often do when the sidewalk is too narrow or blocked by parked cars or construction.
The cops really need to crack down on these reckless drivers who have no regard for human life. If the driver is caught, charge him or her with attempted murder, which is really what happens when you nail someone, then leave them to potentially die in the street. Hit-and-run is no accident and I am glad that this article never used that term.
I am so sorry to hear about this and pleased that the man will live.
When a driver does not stop after hitting a person or a vehicle then the accident (because I am sure the driver didn’t mean to do it) becomes a crime.
What is the law about riding wheelchairs in the dark in the street? Do they have to have lights like bicycles? I am sure they don’t have reflectors. He may have been very hard to see at that time of the night, particularly if he was wearing dark clothing.
I hope the driver is caught. He must have known that he had hit something. Perhaps he was too inebriated to want to talk to the police or face the consequences so cowardly drove off.
Mountain View has become very aggressive with traffic enforcement over the past months. PA should follow MV’s lead.
@ 4am Sat I would think this is more a DUI issue than the simple entitled driving we’ve come to expect from PA drivers.
This type of behavior which used to be very uncommon is becoming more prevalent everywhere. It is very scary! I would bet that the driver was high on alcohol or other drugs. I am appalled at the casual use of alcohol these days and horrified at the rampant binge drinking going on with our teens in PA. Hopefully none of these kids will be stepping into the BMW that their folks bought them for graduation (or maybe just as a high school transport vehicle) after imbibing massive quantities of booze. Their brains are not equipped to handle it.
Please turn yourself in Mr. Hit and Run. Since the brand of vehicle was described, I am assuming that there was an eye witness. I think it rather unusual that there would be much traffic at that time of night. I am wondering if that person called the ambulance. Thank you to whoever sought aid for this unfortunate victim.
This type of thing is happening more and more in Palo Alto. handicapped people, elderly people, bicyclists, pedestrians, all being injured by hit and run drivers. How often does anyone get the license plate number of the offender? When you have been knocked down, and are stunned or even unconscious, do you have the presence of mind to get the driver’s description and plate number? Do witnesses ever come forward?
This problem is one of the reasons we are getting more traffic officers restored to us
you were begining to think this constant fear mongering and surveillance and guantanamo ,personal privacy, law enforcement worship might be a reason there are more hit and runs. people think they could be blamed for something that was accident and maybe be charged and go to prison and be executed! but thats a thought you dont express but it might have validity. well, this story may show that. more hit and runs because people with some justification, might end up in prison for an accident so they flee. that bus driver is a good example. she could have been charged with a crime. you know what? jail fod is atrocious! you salad bar types would die of starvation if forced to eat sodium nitrite hot dogs. or no fruits and vegetables maybe only one apple or some string beans every day. not to mention risk of being beaten up by cop or cell mate. that, my friends ,is why there are more hit and runs. fear of guantanamo torture for jay walking. not hard to understand that fear. the price we pay for fear mongering. hit and run. dont want to be water boarded for jay walking. youd be fearful too considering the scary police and citizen interactions these days. people flee if they can.even if it was an accident. people have been arrested for things they idnt do. fear is justified. thats why hit and runs are increasing.
you may disagree with someones oview on society, but people are fearful of law enforcement. your disagreement with the idea that the legal system isnt fair , does not negate the fact that there are a lot of fearful people. and that affects society. no matter what your opinion is. the news reflects a lot of fearful people. no matter what you say. your view are your views. they do not disprove thetre is a fearful world. have the police done anything to quell fears. marijuana isnt tolerated but industrial pollution is. that is ignorant.
Wow, how low can one go. I hope this hit and run driver is caught and prosecuted.
Naturally,as soon as anew traffic related incident occurs, we have hysterical pronouncements about people being injured by hit and run drivers. Check the local police reports, you will see that this crime happens very infrequently in town. What I see on a regular basis is bikers flaunting regular traffic laws. The new traffic officers could probable spend their entire day dealing with these scofflaw bikers.
I see scofflaw car drivers far more often than “scofflaw bikers” on our local roads. Running stop signs, speeding (even in school zones), talking and texting on cell phones, many other types of distracted driving, drunk driving and other DWI, etc etc etc. If the city doubled the number of traffic cops, I’m sure they could double the number of tickets and make our streets much safer. Scofflaw car drivers are regularly maiming and killing our citizens. Why isn’t the city doing something about it?
Resident– why don’t you please post the links to the stories of our citizens being” maimed and killed” by scofflaw drivers in palo alto on a regular basis. Good luck.
Of course there are drivers that break the rule, but they are far outnumbered by the bicyclists. I am sure most of the enforcement is targeted at cars– that way bicyclists feel that they can break the law with impunity.
How many people are injured or killed by bikes, and how many people are injured or killed by cars? I don’t see much enforcement for either, so we see rampent disregard for the law. If we are going to enforce more we should do it where it counts most, which means against cars (unless someone can prove that bikes cause more injuries).
It is not a matter of why causes more damage– it is a matter of the law. Our vehicle code, for the most part, applies to bicycles. The law must be applied equally- scofflaw drivers and bikers need to be cited. Remember last year n SF a speeding biker ran a red light and killed an elderly gentleman — he was riding with impunity, knowing they he would probably not be cited.
hit and run is a crime. ok super got that out of the way.
but everyone should minimize their exposure to getting hit by a car
“I see scofflaw car drivers far more often than “scofflaw bikers” on our local roads. Running stop signs, speeding (even in school zones), “
Go hang out on Sand Hill by the stanford Shopping Center and you’ll see dozens after dozens after dozens of bicycles running the red lights. On the weekends you’ll see them do it 5,6,10,15 at a time.
Park at Lambert, near Fry’s. In 12 years I’ never seen a bike stop at that intersection. They just roll on through
Seriously one day I need to film the endless line of bikes that run red lights on sand hill. And throw out the challenge of anyone making a video that shows even 1/100th the number of cars running the lights as I can get in an hour on the weekend…..
Bicyclists are a huge problem around here…it’s dangerous just walking down the street as they power down the sidewalk, ready to roll over anyone they see. I’ve actually had a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk yell at me to “MOVE” as I was walking in front of him. Police don’t seem to care.
I seem to remember a recent incident where a skateboarder actually killed a pedestrian as they barrelled down a crosswalk. I think that was in Campbell or Los Gatos…
In any event, my family and I don’t go out as much as we used too around here now..between the robberies, gropings, thefts, armed robberies, hit and runs, and dangerous bicyclists, we save money and dine at home.
Wheelchairs on the side of the road is a dangerous problem due to lack of visibility. Saw a guy on ECR in Redwood City – not on the sidewalk – the other day – chilled my blood. But hitting someone & leaving them there? Awful! I am so glad that the victim is recovering well.
For you ARROGANT bicyclists, having bike and the DISABLED PEOPLE incidents ( they are NOT accidents when you deliberately break the laws ) were a common problem at our REACH program at Cubberley…
I myself was hit and almost knocked down.
Palo Alto could create a new source of revenue if the PAPD would just start ticketing the many bicyclist lawbreakers.
To be even more even-handed, how about adding LICENSING and REGISTRATION to operators of ALL VEHICLES that use our roads instead of allowing these LEECHES to suck the blood of the people who are forced to pay fees to use the same roads.
To play Devil’s Advocate: Why are people who drive motor vehicles charged money for the privilege of using the roads in the first place?
Most of the money to build and maintain public streets comes from the general fund (property tax, sales tax, income tax), not from any car-specific taxes. Next time you see a pedestrian or wheel-chair user or bicyclist on “your street”, yes they paid for it, too. And they are causing tremendously less wear-and-tear and pollution than your 6000 pound gas guzzler. Slow down or stop and let them pass safely.
University Avenue downtown Palo Alto is a big problem … no matter how people drive the configuration of the streets, corners and lights just causes problems and difficulties driving.
There is a lot of stuff … maybe nice looking stuff on each corner with nice benches for the homeless that are mostly kind of filthy, but THEY KEEP PEOPLE FROM BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON … THE VISIBILITY AT THE CORNERS IS A BIG PROBLEM.
Not only that but the way the intersections are it is almost impossible to take a right turn, meaning that people pile up or or are driving all over the place into the opposite lane to get around, and they tend to do that too fast to get out of the way or in hopes of not being seen.
Towards Middlefield the roads are so curved it’s like trying to ski across the street, or walk on a big hill.
Maybe a long term solution would be to make University one-way and Hamilton the other way because the whole thing is just a mess, and blaming the average stupid driver for making mistakes on a street that it takes a PhD. in driving to negotiate safely is stupid.
Not to mention the way too narrow streets … Kipling? ones that should be one-way but are two-way where you just have to pray if you see a car going to the other way ahead of you.
Palo Alto University Avenue needs a reboot.
I happen to think these electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters are a wonderful idea and I am pleased that they are affordable for those who need them to be able to increase their independence.
I do think though that now they are getting so popular it is time to make sure that they are safe for others as well as those who use them. The bike lane and roadway is the place for them rather than the sidewalks as they can be difficult to pass on a sidewalk, particularly for those pushing a stroller. Many of our sidewalks are not wide enough for two to pass particularly where there is landscaping encroaching and garbage bins left out for days at a time.
But, to be safe in the street they must be following the same rules as other vehicles, cars and bikes. They must have lights at night, reflectors, and ride on the right. They must stop at stop signs and give way to pedestrians.
I have come across these vehicles at dusk and they are very hard to see when they are in the shadows, they tend to be unlit and the riders tend to wear dark clothes. For safety sake, they have to be seen as well as any other vehicle. Even on a bright day, the shadows tend to be dark and these vehicles can be almost invisible at times.
It only makes sense to me.
Sorry CPAnon, not buying your Uni Ave rant at all.
Park benches and such end before the corners of each block. There is no blockage from the stop line/crosswalk forward.
The only reason you cannot make a right turn is because of pedestrians in the crosswalk – that’s the way it works.
As for pitched roads, it’s called drainage.
Maybe you should just move.
You’d be amazed how few people on bikes try to run you off the sidewalk when you’re walking with a pit bull, as opposed to when you’re not.
Crescent Park Dad, I don’t care how you feel about my posts, keep your feelings to yourself. However, don’t say I am wrong because you don’t know what you are talking about. I drive on University pretty near daily.
You get toward a corner and if you are making a turn there is a large clump of people most of the day and you never can tell when someone is going to go walking out any old direction, it is crowded … I never said it was impossible, but there is so much going on it begs for accidents. People get into a hurry and there are so often pedestrians in the intersection that when the chance comes to go people step on it and can miss someone just stepping out. And people jay walk as well.
Drainage does not need a foot and a half rise and run in 16 feet, and it is not on most of the other streets either. That happens to be where the woman was dragged under a bus a few years back because the bus driver did not see her.
If you don’t like my posts move off the Internet or move from Palo Alto – no need to get nasty.
Let me see if I have this right. An out-of-control driver leaves his lane, crosses the bike lane onto the shoulder where he strikes a man in a wheelchair and flees the scene, which leads to complaints on this forum about bicyclists and benches.
I hope is not Carol…
“Go hang out on Sand Hill by the stanford Shopping Center and you’ll see dozens after dozens after dozens of bicycles running the red lights.”
Wait a minute. In the other article, you said that we don’t need bike lanes because nobody rides bikes. Now there are dozens after dozens. Get your story straight!
We have a documented incident here of a car running over a wheelchair user and leaving the scene, in Palo Alto.
Please provide a link to a documented incident of a cyclist doing the same.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/sf-pedestrian-struck-by-redlight-running-bicyclist/nDS4T/
http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2012/04/06/bicycle-coalition-hosts-safety-outreach-after-fatal-crash/
ANy more questions, John?
Bicyclists break the laws with impuniy (drivers also break the law, but not with the frequency that cyclists do).
Time for a crack down in Palo Alto.
Why can’t some people stick to the point ? … bicyclists may do certain things such as rolling through stop signs, but bicyclists at their worst cannot do anywhere near the damage a car can do. The two issues need to be compared by the threat to other drivers and pedestrians, not by just claiming that any breaking of the law is equally bad – that is a dishonest argument.
“but bicyclists at their worst cannot do anywhere near the damage a car can do”
Check the two links I provided above your recent post and you will see the type of damage cyclists can do.
“The two issues need to be compared by the threat to other drivers and pedestrians, not by just claiming that any breaking of the law is equally bad – that is a dishonest argument.”
If the law is to be applied equally and the laws governing cyclists is the same as that governing drivers, then it is a very honest argument.
A red light runner, is a red light runner-regardless of the type of vehicle.
A person who fails to yield to pedestrians is a lawbreaker regardless of the vehicle.
Claiming that cyclists should be allowed to flaunt the law cannot “do nowhere near the damage that a car can do” (and remember i provided proof of the opposite) is the dishonest argument
Hello, this story is not about bikes. It’s about a driver who through neglect, impairment, or perhaps even with intention hits a man in a wheelchair with his truck and speeds away. That it. Nothing about bikes here people. Move along.
Take your anti-bike screeds to another story. Bikes did nothing to cause the man in the wheelchair injury or to make the driver an immoral person.
You should read the entire thread Janet, but anyway this story is about a Palo Alto incident. Nothing about Mountain View here people. Move along.
Of course this is the fault of bicycles. If we banned bicycles from this city, then this wheelchair user could not have been hit in a bike lane. Isn’t that common sense??? Car drivers never make mistakes. This is all the fault of bicycles.
I feel terrible for this man, but as a disabled person myself I must say that I never understood why some wheelchair users use the street instead of the sidewalk (day or night). I have even seen mothers with kids in strollers using the street instead of the sidewalk.
I realize that some streets in this area don’t have sidewalks…BUT most areas do. And, there are sidewalk curb cuts at corners precisely for helping wheelchair users and strollers to manage intersections safely.
Wheelchairs and strollers are not vehicles…Please use the sidewalk only. Please have reflector or a light at night.
And, BTW — Bike riders (all bike riders) are not pedestrians, so stay off the sidewalks.
Pedestrians, disabled or not, need at least one safe place for walking. That’s what the sidewalks are for.
> 18 year resident, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood,
> Check the two links I provided above your recent post and you will
> see the type of damage cyclists can do.
How disingenuous … I did not say bicycles cannot do damage, I said that statistically the damage a bicycle can do is nothing compared to a car.
Are there examples of tragic accidents on bicycles … yes, but the energy in a speeding bicycle is nothing compared to the energy in a speeding car.
CPA– you said “ bicyclists at their worst cannot do anywhere near the damage a car can do” . You made a flat statement without “ statistics” .
18 year resident provided two local examples of death by bicycle.
Nothing disingenuous about 18 year residents post. However yours….
Actually this is two articles about the same incident, and it was in San Francisco. If people are telling Janet to go away because she is from Mountain View, we can hardly use incidents from San Francisco and call them “local”. This event was newsworthy because it is so unusual. I also saw an old woman killed by a bicyclist when she ignored all the crowd control and crossed a street in Mountain View in the middle of a bike race (20 years or so ago). Yes bicyclists can kill pedestrians, particularly old and frail ones, but it rarely happens. People die from car crashes on a regular basis. Statistically there is no comparison and anyone who doesn’t have an axe to grind can see that.
Actually Donald, the links are to two separate incidents. One had a ale victim, the other a female victim. You admit that cyclists can kill pedestrians. So why shouldn’t the traffic laws be applied to bike riders. Do they get a free pass because statistically they will not kill anyone. By their nature bikers are more prone to running red lights and stop signs.
People in palo alto on stanly say we need more traffic enforcement, well enforcement needs to deal with scofflaw bikers as well as scofflaw bikers.
The biggest problem with bikes disregarding traffic rules is not that they may injure pedestrians, but they may cause themselves to be injured or killed by their recklessness. Their recklessness may also cause a car to veer into another accident in their efforts to avoid hitting a bike not obeying traffic laws also.
Bikes must obey traffic laws, pedestrians must obey traffic laws, cars and other road vehicles must obey traffic laws. The only safe way to use roads is for all road users to obey traffic laws.
Safety first and obey traffic laws to keep yourself safe as well as other road users.
Well said, resident.
> Statistically there is no comparison and anyone who doesn’t have an axe to grind can see that.
Could not have said that better myself Donald … but I have a feeling God almighty could not turn the bulb on for some people.
You do not prove the general by pointing at two specifics, but you can disprove the general by some specifics … but a couple of biking accidents do not make bikes the threat cars are. If one was lucky enough to get to choose what hits you, the smart money is on a bicycle every time. Also, bicyclists have to be paying more attention … car drivers are doing all kinds of things as they drive.
CPA–So you think Donalds comment is spot on? But he is wrong as I pointed out. read residents comment above . Do you also feel the need to insert your nasty little asides in every thread where everyone is not in complete agreement with you.
And BTW, I see plenty of bikers talking on the phone and rolling around with an od while biking.
I agree that bicyclists should follow the traffic laws, and I am bothered by those who don’t, just as I am bothered by car drivers who flout the law. However, I don’t think that we should concentrate our scarce police resources on something just because it bothers me. We should make sure that the police are addressing issues that are causing injuries. We don’t have the resources to enforce every law everywhere, so the police must set priorities and I think those priorities should be based on public safety not public annoyance.
Well, just to be off-topic and extend the bicycle conversation, I am not often or very bothered by bicyclists. Having ridden my bike all my life, often to school, or for exercise it is a pain to have to stop at a stop light or stop sign, especially when there is no one going to the other direction. But I still do most of the time.
When I am driving I try to be considerate to bicycle riders, just as considerate as I am to pedestrians. I don’t often like it, but it’s the right thing to do in my opinion. When I come to a stop sign and see a bicyclist coming shortly after, I wave them on through … unless there are other cars at the intersection. Same with pedestrians.
I don’t see what the big deal is and why some here are really so hot and bothered by people on bicycles?
I also don’t see why the editor feels he has to constantly take little snippets out of my polite and considerate postings. Such as the mysteries of the universe.
CPA, as I pointed out in my deleted post– read residents post above about the dangers of bikers disregarding laws. I and others are not “ hot and bothered” by bikers– the issue is bikers that do not obey the laws and put themselves and others in danger. The fact that bikers usually do not kill people is irrelevant.
I am not sure why you do not grasp that concept .
BTW, I also do not understand some of the editing done by the staff.
Streets are for cars.
Street bike lanes are for bikes.
Sidewalks are for pedestrians, including those in wheelchairs and those with strollers.
That’s the law. Now follow it.
No, neighbor, that it your mistaken interpretation of the law. Can you quote which law you claim says that?
These irrational anti-bike rants are usually the manifestation of some deep insecurity and/or fear. They can’t be addressed by logic because they are based on emotion, from lower parts of the brain that can’t be over-ruled by the upper logical part. These people feel so threatened by bicyclists, often because their sense of social worth and status is wrapped up in their automobile, that they see the danger to society as obvious and not worth proving.
Thanks Freud, for a good laugh. You clearly wanted to be a psychiatrist but ended up guving diagnosis on this forum.
Anubis — streets are not for pedestrians and wheelchair users are pedestrians. I am a wheelchair user.