An elderly man died Saturday, January 4th, at the intersection of Silver Avenue and Colby Street during a hit-and-run crash
Not even a week in 2025 and San Francisco has already seen its first pedestrian fatality for the calendar year. According to the pedestrian nonprofit Walk San Francisco, an 81-year-old man was fatally struck by a vehicle in SF’s Portola neighborhood over the weekend. Police responded to the scene around 5:35 p.m. and found the man deceased; the driver was nowhere to be found.
Unlike many pedestrian deaths recorded last year — all of which collectively made 2024 the deadliest year for pedestrians in San Francisco since 2013 — the man was hit and killed in an area outside the City’s high-injury network. (SF’s high-injury network is made up of just 12% of the City’s streets but accounts for well over half of its recorded pedestal injuries and deaths.)
“2024 was the worst year for pedestrian deaths in a decade, and it’s deeply upsetting that just four days into the new year the death toll for pedestrians has begun,” said Medeiros. “We need these senseless tragedies to stop – and we need City leaders to do everything in their power to stop them,” continued Medeiros.
However, Silver Avenue itself is quite dangerous.
“Silver Avenue from Holyoke Street to Waterville Street and from Madrid Street to Alemany Boulevard are on the high-injury network and there have been three other fatal crashes along Silver Avenue since 2015,” reads a news release from the nonprofit.
It’s an unsettling start to the new year. Moreover, man’s death shows last year’s pedestrian fatality trend is perhaps carrying over — seniors are far more likely to die while crossing the street than other age cohorts. We pointed out in 2024 that more than 60% of the year’s pedestrian fatalities involved victims 65 years and older; the death of this 81-year-old man only emphasizes that disproportionate risk.
As of publishing, no further details on the crash or the victim have been released.
