Berkeley Resident Struck on Marin Avenue
On Wednesday afternoon, December 1, 2021, a 75-year-old woman, a Berkeley resident, was struck by a car as she was crossing the street within a crosswalk in the Berkeley Hills.
Details of the Berkeley Pedestrian Incident
The woman was walking across Marin Avenue near the intersection with Euclid Avenue. She was within the crosswalk when a vehicle struck her at a relatively low speed.
The motorist, a 26-year-old woman from Berkeley, had been traveling westbound on Marin Avenue. She was driving a Ford SUV and hit the pedestrian at around 10 miles per hour. She remained at the scene of the incident and cooperated with authorities.
The Cause of the Incident is Under Investigation
No official cause for this terrible incident has been released. Some Berkeley residents speculate that the steep hill in that location (an 18% grade) along with the angle of the setting sun may have affected the driver’s visibility.
Condition of the Injured Berkeley Resident
The injured woman was transported by ambulance to the regional trauma center, Highland Hospital, and was admitted to the intensive care unit, according to officials. No additional updates have been released.
City Plagued by Major Traffic Incidents in 2021
There have been several major traffic collisions in Berkeley during 2021, which have resulted in eight fatalities, five of which have been among pedestrians.
Just last week, on November 24th, another Berkeley resident was cycling in the south part of the city when she was struck by a vehicle north of Ashby Avenue, near Sacramento Market. She was trapped beneath the car and suffered critical injuries. Later reports indicate that she was first “doored” by another vehicle, which caused her to fall from her bike and was subsequently struck by a Lexus.
The injured cyclist was taken to Highland Hospital. While initial reports regarding her condition were alarming, it has since been released that she is expected to survive her injuries.
Vision Zero
The Berkeley Police Department has been experiencing staffing problems, and the investigations into these traffic events have been lagging as a result. Some investigations have been taken over by the California Highway Patrol since the City’s resources are stretched thin. Despite the staffing issues, the City continues to work on a program called Vision Zero, which has the goal of ending severe injury crashes and traffic fatalities by the year 2028.
Vision Zero is a program that is gaining momentum in a number of major cities throughout the United States. It seeks to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries and increase healthy, safe, and equitable mobility for everyone. The program was first implemented in the 1990s in Sweden and has proven to be successful throughout Europe.
The program recognizes that more than 40,000 deaths from traffic events every year throughout the U.S. are preventable. Most are not “accidents,” and a preventative, proactive approach that places a priority on traffic safety could save many of those lives.
Watch the YouTube video. The clip below, posted by Business Sweden, explains the concept of Vision Zero.
Berkeley Personal Injury Attorneys
Hello -I’m Ed Smith, and I am a Berkeley personal injury lawyer. We hope that the City of Berkeley can make great strides toward reducing or eliminating bicycle and pedestrian crashes. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries caused by the negligence of a motorist, the experienced injury attorneys at our firm can help. Call us for compassionate, free, and friendly advice at (510) 631-0200 or (800) 404-5400.
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Photo by Juan Cardenas via Unsplash
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