Child dies after being struck by car in SF’s Hayes Valley

Child fatally struck by car in San Francisco

A young child died when they were struck by car in the city's Hayes Valley.

SAN FRANCISCO - A young child was struck and fatally injured by a car in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood on Sunday morning.

What we know:

San Francisco Police Department Officer Robert Rueca told KTVU that officers were sent just after 10:35 a.m. to the intersection of Hayes and Webster streets on reports of the collision and found the child injured at the scene.

Police and paramedics provided aid to the child at the scene until they were taken to a hospital, where they died of their wounds.

The driver of the car remained at the scene and is cooperating with an investigation into the collision.

Local perspective:

Police did not reveal the child’s age or gender, but neighbors told KTVU that the victim was a boy who belonged to a family that had lived in the area for a long time.

"It’s a horrible thing, you know, for the family, for the baby," said neighbor Fernando Castillo. "It’s just very, very sad."

Another neighbor, Tonica Brown, said she has children around the same age as the victim and that she regularly fears for their safety. She said her door handles sit at such a height that her toddler can easily open them and access the street, and that she takes extra care when she pulls into and out of her driveway because of foot and vehicle traffic in the area.

"It’s a busy street. You have the [SFMTA 6 Hayes/Parnassus bus] running, then you got the cars flying up and down the street, so it’s really hard," Brown said.

Another neighbor – who told KTVU he walks his own children to school along the same corridor – placed a bouquet of red roses at the intersection, and said it was the only way he could think to honor the victim.