Remember to look both ways..

[xNOVAx]

Hey Everybody.. Had a sucky day today since my girl and I were witnesses to this accident.. This was right outside my apartment (I live just to the left in the picture on the main page) and we were coming back from having lunch up the street.. Heard a bang, looked up and saw a body flying upside down about 5 feet in the air and hit the ground completely lifeless.. Hope you guys never have to see anything like it..

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Elderly_man_killed_at_busy_intersection.html

As many times as you've prolly heard it, just remember to look before you cross any busy street..

 

[uptown]

I'm sorry you had to see something like that. Every single day I stress to my children the importance of always looking before crossing the street.

[Curlew]

I saw this happen in front of me when i was in high school, it is terrible

[Chalenge]

I was six when my preachers son was killed by a car doing 70 on a 35 mph street.

[Saxman]

A single walkway bridge over Geary Boulevard is the only place for pedestrians to cross the street. Signs are posted at the four corners of the intersection alerting pedestrians that they are not allowed to cross, but many in the area said the warnings are ignored.

Whether it is to catch a bus or to get groceries at the nearby Safeway, many residents and workers cross the street illegally. Even as investigators worked at the scene, at least two couples tried to cross the boulevard despite warnings from police.

It's a horrible tragedy, but this is one of the biggest problems I had with what happened.

[Speed55]

It's a horrible tragedy, but this is one of the biggest problems I had with what happened.

You'd think they would be written a jay-walking ticket at that point no? 

[Fugita]

Around 12 years ago when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale I was driving down U.S. 1 south about 10 o'clock at night. (I was doing the speed limit and wasn't drinking) I had an 84 camaro at the time. Anyway, some woman ran out in front of me and all I saw at first was a flash in my left headlight and then her face in my windshield. I could see in my side view mirror rolling limp on the road. I freaked. I thought she was dead. It was all I could do to go check on her after I got out of the car. There were a bunch of people stopped and with her while the cops and the ambulance were in route. When the state Trooper took my statement and the witnesses statements, I could only tell him what I saw, but the witnesses said someone was chasing her and she was looking back when I hit her. Nothing happened to me from it, other than I can't get rid of that image from my mind. She suffered a shattered right knee and shoulder and need extensive surgery on her face.

[Denholm]

Never mind.

[Chalenge]

Quoted text removed.

[USRanger]

Wow, that one came from way out in left field.

[xNOVAx]

It's a horrible tragedy, but this is one of the biggest problems I had with what happened.

I see people crossing illegally there all the time.. I've never done it because I can clearly see the dangers of that intersection for pedestrians.. It's 6 lanes of traffic and even for me (27 years old in good shape) it's way too far to cross safely.. I always take the overpass if I decide to cross there, but 1, it's quite a pain to walk all the way up and down it (its a very large overpass walkway), and 2 its almost always faster to cross somewhere else..

[Anaxogoras]

San Francisco is one of the most dangerous places for pedestrians in the entire country.  The drivers there don't give a #$^! about anyone not behind a wheel.  I remember reading about a police sting operation where plain-clothes officers attempted to cross at a crosswalk.  One was almost run over.

~former bay are resident.

[Rich46yo]

I had a guy once go to a ball game by his best man the day after his wedding. So their at the ballpark, drinking, the the married guy catches a ball during the game. After the game they hit the joints and get even drunker. When they leave they are walking next to the ballpark and the married guy starts bouncing the ball against the wall of the ballpark and catching it. Well one time the ball gets past him, goes into the street, and he goes after it but trips and falls on all fours 1/2 way into the street.......

And here comes this lady in her Buick 2 & a quarter going about 45 mph, passing on the right, and hits him square on the grape without even knowing he was there. The effect was like you'd hit a piece of fruit with a sledge hammer. And I had to get a broom and shovel and shovel it all up to bag it for the ME. What was left we had to get the FD to clean it with pressure hoses.

So yes. Ive seen stuff like that. And that one probably wasn't the worst but it sticks in my mind because I remembered thinking who in hell is going to tell his brand new bride that her husband had just gotten beheaded while trying to get to a baseball.

[MiloMorai]

It is winter and a friend and I have to cross a road (main 2 lane road out of the city, Hyw 16/Prince of Wales Dr). It is about 8 o'clock Friday night so vehicles are easily seen. Before trying to cross, he looks right and I look left. Then we look in the other direction. We check a 3rd time. Only this time a car that has gone past and hides the lights from the oncoming vehicle. I just catch sight of the vehicle but my friend doesn't and starts across the road. He almost makes it but the vehicle snags his foot that is in the air. This is in the mid '50s when bumpers stuck out from vehicles.

The panel truck was at least 150-200yds down the road when he started across and should have been able to make it across (30mph speed limit). Turns out the guy driving was drunk and speeding. He got off with no charges. Normal back then.

I had to run 3 blocks to his house. Not easy for an 8 year old all bundled up for 10F weather. I can still hear his mother's screams after telling her Marty had been hit by a 'car'.

Marty was lucky it was winter with snow on the ground as it had a cushioning effect. Still, he ended up with a broken right leg.

Almost 10 years later a friend's sister was killed at almost the same spot. Never looked and ran out onto the road to catch the school bus.

[GFShill]

"An elderly man crossing a busy Japantown intersection where pedestrians often ignore a no-crossing sign died Sunday after he was hit by a Honda Civic."

Sounds like he should've done more than just look both ways.