76-year-old driver jumps sidewalk in SF's Chinatown, hitting pedestrians; 1 killed

SAN FRANCISCO - A 76-year-old driver, who was trying to park his car, instead jumped the sidewalk in San Francisco Friday morning, striking a building and two pedestrians, killing one of them, according to the police and fire departments.

The driver, who has not been named, has been cooperating on scene, and police said drugs and alcohol do not appear to have been factors. 

The call came in at 7:44 a.m. at Grant and Jackson streets in Chinatown, the police and fire departments said. 

One pedestrian killed, second in critical condition

What we know:

Police said the driver had been trying to park his car, but ended up hitting both pedestrians, who were taken to the hospital in critical and serious condition, respectively.

One of those pedestrians died, police said. The other is expected to live. 

An SFPD source close to the investigation told KTVU that the victims were carpet installers arriving to work.

At the scene, a silver SUV was seen crashed into what appeared to be a restaurant right next to Red Place cocktails. Two city chaplains stood by on the sidewalk.

Mayor Daniel Lurie shared on social media that he was sad to hear about the deadly crash. 

"My thoughts are with the victims' loved ones and all those affected," Lurie wrote on X. "Public safety includes being able to walk safely on our streets, and I urge everyone to look out for one another—especially while driving—to help keep our roads and sidewalks safe."

A San Francisco supervisor called the crash "heartbreaking."

"This is a tragic, urgent reminder that we need to do more to make our streets safer. We need to more quickly slow traffic, protect pedestrians, and improve driver training and safety," said Supervisor Danny Sauter.

Another case of elderly driver

Big picture view:

Last week, in an unrelated case, Mary Fong Lau, 80, was sentenced to probation after she killed a family – two parents and their young children – in March 2024 while driving her car and striking then while they were waiting at a Muni stop on their way to the zoo. 

Lau pleaded no contest to four felony counts of vehicular manslaughter, and a judge accepted the plea.

The Superior Court judge said Lau’s age, remorse and lack of criminal history were factors in the sentencing decision. She was placed on probation for two years and is banned from driving for three years. She also has to complete 200 hours of community service.