SAN FRANCISCO — Two people, including a child, were killed and three others were injured when a car crashed into a bus shelter near the West Portal Muni station Saturday afternoon, the San Francisco Fire Department said.
The four people were at the Ulloa Street and Lenox Way bus stop outside the West Portal Branch Library when an eastbound Mercedes SUV crashed into the shelter around 12:13 p.m.
The two people at the evacuation center were pronounced dead at the scene. The other two people at the evacuation center and the driver of the car were taken to the hospital.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) at 3:54 p.m., “I just visited the site and it's heartbreaking.'' “We will share further information as we can, but right now our focus is on the victims and their families.”
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Walk San Francisco, a pedestrian advocacy nonprofit, identified the dead as a man and an infant, and said the other two people at the shelter were a woman and an infant, both with serious injuries.
“This is one of the worst pedestrian tragedies to ever occur on San Francisco streets,” Jodi Medeiros, the group's executive director, said in a statement.
Walk San Francisco plans to hold a vigil for the victims at the crash site Monday at 5 p.m., she said.
According to Walk San Francisco, West Portal Avenue is a major commercial corridor with high foot traffic and is home to the K and M City rail lines.
Selina Gomez, who was working at a hair salon near the scene, heard the commotion and went outside to investigate.
“People were trying to stop something,” she says. “They were trying to hide what appeared to be bodies. So we ran over and looked and there were bodies everywhere.”
The SUV apparently crashed into a utility pole, but first hit a group of pedestrians waiting at a bus stop.
“Some witnesses said she was flying very fast, going very fast,” Gomez said. “And there was a stroller and a baby in the stroller. It wasn't something you would want to see.”
San Francisco Fire Chief Janine Nicholson described the tragic results.
“Unfortunately, they were both really seriously injured and there was no hope,” she said. “However, we immediately transported the other three to the hospital.”
Mayor London Breed arrived at the scene and said those who witnessed the accident, including a city bus driver, were extremely shaken up.
“As you can imagine, there are children involved here,” she says. “And how shocking that is, especially for a lot of people who may have been here and witnessed this situation happen.”
The city's Vision Zero program aims to eliminate road conditions that can lead to pedestrian deaths, but some accidents are unforeseen and officials are not jumping to conclusions on the issue. We are warning the public not to do so.
“We don't know if the driver had a medical emergency. This is all under investigation,” Fire Chief Nicholson said. “So this may have nothing to do with Vision Zero. Again, we're investigating.”
Mayor Breed said changes could occur if it is determined that something in the road design contributed to the accident.
“It's time to fundamentally rethink the area where this crash happened, where thousands of people walk, cross and wait every day,” Medeiros said.
The victims of Saturday's accident were the fifth and sixth pedestrian fatalities in the city this year, according to Walk San Francisco.
Pedestrian advocacy groups say the number is more than double the same period last year. According to the group, 17 people will die while walking in San Francisco in 2023.
Muni said on its website that the West Portal transit station was closed while police investigated.
The San Francisco Police Department's Traffic Division is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (415) 575-4444 or text her message to TIP411 and start a message with SFPD.
KPIX correspondent John Ramos contributed to this report
