77-Year-Old Pedestrian Dies in SF After Being Struck By an Electric Scooter

An elderly man in downtown San Francisco was struck and killed by an electric scooter last week, San Francisco police said.

Officers on Friday afternoon responded to reports of a vehicle collision involving a pedestrian near Sixth and Market streets. The victim, 77, was crossing the intersection when a person on an electric scooter collided with him, SFPD reported.

The victim sustained life-threatening injuries and succumbed to his wounds after being transported to a local hospital by first responders, according to a statement by the police department. His identity has not been released.

“Our hearts break for the victim and his loved ones,” Marta Lindsey, a spokesperson for traffic safety advocacy group Walk San Francisco, said in a statement. “People walking in San Francisco shouldn’t have to worry about being hit by any type of vehicle, whether a car or an e-scooter.”

San Francisco police reported that the scooter driver stayed on the scene after officers arrived and cooperated with the investigation, adding that it does not appear that drugs or alcohol were involved in the collision.

Lindsey said that vehicles like scooters and electric bicycles can pose a threat to people walking on the street because they can quickly accelerate to higher speeds, increasing the chances and severity of a possible crash.

Of the nine pedestrian deaths this year, seven of the victims were elderly, according to Walk SF.

The entirety of Market Street falls within the high injury network, streets with the highest concentration of traffic injuries and deaths. Since 2015, there have been more than 40 traffic collisions in the area of 6th and Market, Walk SF reported.

Recently, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency introduced new pedestrian and transit safety improvements in the area, such as updated traffic signals, repaved sidewalks and curb ramps.

California also passed a daylighting law last year, which prohibits drivers from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk or 15 feet of a curb extension to create increased visibility on roadways. SFMTA has come under fire recently over what some advocates say is the city’s noncompliance with the new law — painted curbs indicating where drivers are not allowed to park fall short of the mandated length.

Lindsey said the city can and should do more to protect those most vulnerable on city streets.

Vision Zero, a traffic safety policy that aims to reduce traffic and pedestrian casualties in San Francisco, expired in 2024 — the city’s deadliest year in at least two decades, with more than 40 crash-related deaths. Advocates have urged Mayor Daniel Lurie and other city officials to renew the policy or to introduce new strategies for maintaining public safety.

“We need streets to be designed and enforced to support safe behavior and protect our most vulnerable,” Lindsey said. “We can measure our city’s safety by how safe kids and seniors are. This tragedy shows how far San Francisco has to go with traffic safety and why it needs to be a priority for city leaders.”