Woman killed in crosswalk, pickup driver arrested in East Oakland

Pedestrian killed in East Oakland hit-and-run, driver arrested

A woman was fatally struck in an East Oakland crosswalk by a hit-and-run driver, prompting renewed calls from the community for urgent street safety improvements. It happened on Fruitvale Avenue and 27th Street Sunday morning.

OAKLAND, Calif. - A woman was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver Sunday morning while crossing a street in East Oakland, marking the latest in a string of deadly pedestrian collisions that has residents calling for urgent safety improvements.

The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of Fruitvale Avenue and East 27th Street.

Surveillance video captured the woman walking along Fruitvale Avenue. After pressing the crosswalk button and safely crossing the street twice, she stepped onto a third crosswalk at East 27th Street, where she was struck by a white pickup truck that fled the scene.

The driver was taken into custody. And police said that alcohol may have been involved. 

"She’s a really nice lady," said Saeed Aldebashi, who works at Fruitvale Liquor nearby. "She walks slowly, always comes into the store and says hi… That’s why it makes me mad. I liked her. Her family is very nice."

Oakland police said alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. The driver was located a short time later and arrested. 

Neighbors say reckless driving is common

Residents said reckless driving in the area is all too common, with drivers frequently speeding, running red lights or doing donuts. Several pointed to sun glares as an additional hazard.

"People move quite quickly down this street and often are just flying by and aren't always very cognizant of pedestrians walking across intersections," said Casey Ramirez, who works nearby.

"I’ve been almost hit several times," said Zinell Bryant, owner of Z’s Hair Salon. When asked why, she added: "They can’t see. I’ve also driven through here myself, and it’s very hard to see because the sun shines directly into your eyes."

Advocates push for faster safety fixes

Sunday’s fatal crash came just one week after another deadly hit-and-run in East Oakland. In that case, a pedestrian was killed in a marked crosswalk at 82nd Avenue and Bancroft Avenue.

"This is the intersection of two of the most dangerous roads in Oakland," said Bryan Culbertson, a member of the advocacy group Traffic Violence Rapid Response, referring to Fruitvale Avenue and East 27th. "They’re on the high-injury network, so we know this is not a unique incident."

Culbertson and fellow advocate Anwar Baroudi are urging the city to act faster on street safety improvements.

"For an example of things we have seen Oakland do, as they’ve done in other places, is they’ve put in median hardening, little concrete islands at the crosswalk," Culbertson said.

"It’s important to really emphasize how urgently we need this work done," Baroudi added. "That this work needs to be as well-funded and well-resourced as it can be."

The group said it is working with the Oakland Department of Transportation to help prioritize changes, especially given the city’s limited budget.