On March 18, 2018, in Tempe Arizona, a woman pushing her bike across the road at the intersection of Mill Avenue and Curry Road was struck and killed by an Uber self-driving vehicle in autonomous mode, marking a milestone in the Autonomous Vehicle revolution: the first human killed by a robo-car. Early reports state that the pedestrian was outside of the crosswalk at the time of the fatal collision.
Fremont, CA (June 19th, 2017) – Sara Ojeda, 47, was fatally struck in a crosswalk last Wednesday morning(June 14, 2017) at the intersection of Fremont Boulevard and Capitol Avenue. The incident occurred around 7:30 am.
The Dolan Law Firm annually sponsors Bike to Work Day in the San Francisco Bay Area. As part of Bike to Work Day 2017, we published in the Examiner a “Bicyclists Bill of Rights.” This document is posted on our website at dolanlawfirm.com/bicyclist-rights
In response, Bryan from San Francisco writes, “Do you have a Pedestrian Bill of Rights? I appreciate your efforts on making streets safer for bicyclists but what about pedestrians. I am disabled and walk with a walker. I was walking on Bayshore and barely missed by a bicycle riding quickly on the sidewalk. He came up from behind me on the sidewalk when there is a bike lane right there. Bicyclists need to obey the laws if they expect drivers to obey the laws.”
Oakland, CA, (June 9, 2017) – Robert Bennett was killed on the morning of Friday, June 2, 2017 while crossing the street at Harrison and 23rd Street. An Oakland Police Department spokesperson stated Bennett was hit by a dark grey Chrysler van traveling northbound on Harrison.
Adam from Mission Bay writes, “Chris, my husband Jeff was hit by a car while crossing the street near our condo. Jeff was in the crosswalk and suffered a fractured leg and a concussion. I did not have any PTO at work. I took off a week anyways to care for Jeff after he was released from the hospital.
My manager was upset with me for not reporting to work. He said he couldn’t get coverage for my shifts and fired me the day I returned to the job. I had emailed my manager that I would not be coming into work to care for Jeff. It’s a big company of about 100 people throughout the Bay Area, with about 50 in my division in San Francisco. I have worked for them for two years and never called in sick. Didn’t I have the right to take time off?”
Milpitas, CA (September 19, 2016) – A pedestrian that was standing on a sidewalk was hit and killed on Sunday, September 18, 2016 at 9:45 am by a Subaru. The incident took place on the corner of the northbound I-880 off-ramp and the eastbound state highway 237. The Subaru also hit a utility box at the location and caused a traffic light to malfunction.