Today’s question comes from the family of a young woman who was fatally injured in San Francisco. The death was caused by a vehicle owned by the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF) which was being operated by a City employee as part of their regular official work duties.
The vehicle in this case was a government service/shuttle van and not a police, fire or ambulance vehicle. The vehicle made a left turn from a lane, and at a location, reserved only for busses and taxis (one of those red painted lanes) and struck a pedestrian lawfully crossing in the crosswalk. If the vehicle had not made a left hand turn the death would not have happened.
The officers purportedly told the family that the vehicle was permitted to violate the Vehicle Code because it had “exempt” license plates.