Palo Alto educator seriously injured by hit-and-run driver in SF

Beloved Peninsula educator seriously injured by hit-and-run driver while walking in San Francisco

Beloved educator from a private Palo Alto middle school and high school is struggling to recover from life-changing injuries after being struck by a hit-and-run driver while she was walking with her partner and friends in San Francisco's Mission neighborhood. Her partner witnessed the crash and described the terrifying ordeal. The school she works for is rallying to support her. It has started an online fundraiser to help her with medical expenses.

PALO ALTO, Calif. - A beloved Palo Alto educator is facing a long recovery after she was seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash in San Francisco late last week. 

Erika Yeates, the dean of academic affairs at Lydian Academy in Palo Alto, was struck by a car Friday night while walking in the Mission District with her partner and friends.

Yeates is being treated at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Redwood City, where her partner, Andrew Touma, says she remains in significant pain and is awaiting surgery.

"She’s a loving, intelligent, beautiful young woman dedicated to her job and dedicated to her students," Touma said.

Touma says the couple had just met friends in the busy area lined with bars and restaurants, around 11:15 p.m. at 16th and Albion streets.

Yeates was just a few steps ahead of him and preparing to cross the street when a gray Mercedes sedan traveling in a bus-only lane hit her.

"A car came out of nowhere," he said. "It wasn’t supposed to be in the bus lane. It hit her and kept going. It took her legs out from underneath her. She fell on her face pretty hard."

Yeates briefly lost consciousness but was awake again by the time first responders arrived.

"It was chaos for a bit," Touma said. "I really thought for a moment that I had lost her. It was terrifying."

Yeates suffered a concussion, a fractured leg, and a broken ankle in two places. She is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday.

Touma says the extent of any long-term complications remains uncertain.

"I’m praying that there is no permanent damage," he said. "But that’s something you worry about. It’s a huge uncertainty right now."

Touma added that while he is angry, he is not looking for revenge—only responsibility.

"Show some humanity. Come forward and take responsibility for this," he said.

Yeates’ colleagues and students at Lydian Academy in Palo Alto have rallied to support her.

The school community describes her as the "heart of their campus" and a "guiding force to be reckoned with."

Touma says it’s unclear when she will be able to return to work — something she loves and takes pride in.

San Francisco police say no arrests have been made and the investigation into the hit-and-run remains ongoing.

An online fundraiser has been launched to help the family with medical expenses as Yeates begins what doctors expect to be a long and uncertain recovery. 

Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave a message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU,  Instagram @AmberKTVU  or Twitter @AmberKTVU