A taxi ran a red light before striking and killing a pedestrian in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district.

Pedestrian fatality: A taxi driver ran a red light, was hit by another vehicle, and then struck and killed a pedestrian Saturday in San Francisco‘s Tenderloin district.

•   A taxi driver ran a red light and was hit by another car.  

•   Both vehicles spun out and the taxi hit a pedestrian who was legally crossing the street.

•   The pedestrian died.

The fatal accident occurred just before 7 p.m., according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

San Francisco Police Department Albie Esparza said 38-year-old Edmund Capalla was legally crossing the intersection at Eddy and Larkin streets when he was hit by a taxi.

Witnesses said the taxi driver, whose identity was not released, had  run a red light and was hit by another car entering the intersection. The impact sent both cars into a spin and the taxi struck Capalla.

Capalla suffered severe injuries. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died.

Esparza said no charges had yet been filed against the taxi driver, but recommendations will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s office once the investigation is complete.

“We have to see if he was negligent,” Esparza told the San Francisco Examiner. “He may have had a medical emergency, I don’t know.”

That response angered Walk SF executive director Elizabeth Stampe.

“The police should be telling us what actually happened, not speculating on excuses for the driver,” Stampe told the SF Streets blog. We know there was a medical emergency – Edmund Capalla was hit and killed while walking. We expect solid information from the police about how this occurred. Walk SF and its members want to see swift action on this case from the police and, if appropriate, from the District Attorney’s office.”

Capalla’s death was the eleventh known pedestrian fatality in San Francisco this year. In February, a  paratransit van driver was caught on video running over a pedestrian in a crosswalk at Eddy and Leavenworth streets, two blocks away from the intersection where Capalla was killed.  Police eventually issued that driver a traffic citation, but no criminal charges ever were filed.

San Francisco Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented the families of pedestrian accident victims for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.