Officers say it appears the man was walking in the crosswalk when he was hit just after 7:35 this morning. The man, believed to be in his early to mid 30s, was taken to San Francisco General Hospital in critical condition.
The 20-year-old female driver stayed at the scene. Police say alcohol or drugs were not involved and she appeared to be going the speed limit when she hit the man. Witnesses also say neither one was using a cell phone when the accident happened.
The accident took place while several traffic officers were doing a traffic enforcement crackdown near the Civic Center on Van Ness Avenue between Market and Geary. They were looking for drivers not paying attention to pedestrians and pedestrians breaking the law trying to cross the street. This is a trouble spot in the city -- four out of the seven fatal accidents this year in San Francisco have taken place along Van Ness Avenue.
One woman who works in the area explained to us what happens:
"Sometimes it's the pedestrians being oblivious because they are on their phone or whatever. Sometimes it's the drivers being oblivious or they are in a hurry. But, yeah this is an enormous pedestrian death trap," said San Francisco resident Natalie Billingsley.
Billingsley says she got hit by a car last year and is super careful about looking both ways every time. Officers are planning on being in the same place for the evening commute. As for this incident in the Outer Sunset, officers will be out here tomorrow at the exact time the accident took place to see what conditions the driver was facing.
