Shocking Incident in San Leandro, Alameda County, California
A tragic incident on Saturday morning in San Leandro claimed the life of an elderly woman while crossing in a residential area.
It happened around 10:15 a.m. as she was crossing Spring Lake Drive. Sara Balibrera was consoling her uncle, who was in shock after his wife was hit by a car that witnesses said was speeding when it collided with the 83-year-old woman, who was thrown several meters by the impact and was flung out of her shoes.
"This was a hit and run! It was not an accident! The driver just kept going!" Balibrera said.
A woman, who requested not to be identified, rushed to help after hearing the loud impact of the car against the woman. "I came out and saw her body on the ground, I called 911, checked for a pulse and felt nothing," she said.
Other neighbors identified the vehicle as a gray BMW sedan. The driver drove away from the scene without stopping to check on the victim, leaving the car hood dented and the windshield shattered from the impact.
A white van followed the driver a few blocks, where the police managed to catch up with him. The San Leandro Police reported via email that the driver was cooperating with investigators and that there was no suspicion of alcohol consumption in the incident.
Neighbor Brooke Noble claims that cars often speed through this street and there is no crosswalk where the elderly woman was fatally hit. "There should be one. There are lots of people, kids everywhere in our neighborhood, walking, running everywhere," Noble said.
Noble is outraged by the way drivers speed on the four-lane boulevard. Multi-story apartment buildings are located on both sides of the boulevard, divided by a central median. However, the nearest crosswalk is about a block away.
"No crosswalks, no speed bumps, it's not right," Noble said. Noble would like to see the driver fined or arrested, saying, "Obviously, he's committing all kinds of criminal acts and not getting caught. At least reckless driving, and not only that, how many other people has he hit and kept going?"
Bryan Azevedo, vice mayor of San Leandro, arrived at the scene after a neighbor called him about the tragic traffic death. "It really concerns the community. Cars just keep flying by here and we don't have crosswalks. I'm going to advocate for us to put in crosswalks," Azevedo said.
He also said that the street is known for speed, despite the speed limit being 35 mph. "Cars just fly by here at 60, 70 mph; so maybe we need to lower the speed limit," he said.
He was invited to a neighbor's house with the victim's husband and niece. He saw the surveillance video that captured the scene, saying, "I saw the footage, I saw it, the car flew by and the lady flew through the air and we believe she died instantly. I really feel for the family, it's such a tragic way to lose someone's life."
A spokesperson for the police department urges any witnesses or individuals with information about this incident to notify the traffic department at (510) 577-3208.
Location: Springlake Drive, San Leandro, CA, USA
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Originally posted at Abogados de Choques
