There was a minor cable car accident Monday on the Hyde Street line, the circumstances of which are not entirely clear, and two passengers were reportedly treated for injuries.

The incident happened around 11:37 am Monday at the intersection of Hyde Street and Broadway.

An initial report on the Citizen website suggested that the cable car had "jumped the track and hit a pole."

The San Francisco Fire Department subsequently confirmed that two people had been taken by ambulance to be treated for minor injuries.

Cable cars were temporarily switching back at Washington and Powell, but the accident was cleared as of 1 pm. According to the SFMTA, regular inbound and outbound service on the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable car lines has resumed.

This is the second injury accident involving a San Francisco cable car in two months. In mid-December, a cable car made an abrupt stop on California Street on Nob Hill, and left 11 passengers with injuries.

Photo via Citizen app

A woman who was struck and injured by a cable car in Russian Hill in December 2022 has won an $11 million settlement.

Ruth Owades, who was 78 at the time of the accident, was struck by cable car being driven by an inexperienced operator, according to her lawyers, on December 28, 2022. As SFGate reports, the lawyers say that the driver was distracted, focused to his left, and "blew through" an intersection where he should have come to a full stop at Hyde and Chestnut streets, in violation of Muni protocol.

Owades suffered grave injuries, and while she was walking home from work at the time of the collision and was reportedly "energetic" and healthy prior to the accident, the traumatic brain injury she suffered left her "a shell of her former self," her lawyers said in a court filing. She "now requires 24 hour care and assistance for the rest of her life," they add.

As MSN notes, Owades was CEO of Calyx & Carolla, the first fresh flower online catalogue, and a successful businesswoman during her career. She is also the widow of Joseph L. Owades, who is famous for being the inventor of light beer.

The cable car was traveling at its maximum speed, 9.5 miles per hour, when the collision occurred.

The lawyers contended that the operator was "not watching the road" and did not even make a proper stop at what was an actual stop on the cable-car line.

The city opted to settle the case before going to trial, and Owades will now receive $11 million for her ongoing care. The SF Board of Supervisors approved the settlement during their closed session on Tuesday.

Jen Kwart, a spokesperson for the city attorney’s office, tells the Gate, "We believe the proposed settlement is an appropriate resolution to this matter."

Photo: Ken Hilton

A woman died Saturday afternoon after a fall from a roof in Russian Hill, and details about the circumstances leading up to the fall have not been released.

The incident happened around 4 p.m. Saturday at a building on the 2900 block of Van Ness Avenue, between Francisco and Chestnut Streets.

As the Chronicle reports, arriving officers attempted CPR, but the woman was declared dead at the scene. Foul play is not suspected.

The woman's identity has not been released.

The Blue Angeles air show, part of Fleet Week, was ongoing as of 3:15 p.m. Saturday, though it is not clear that the woman who fell was out watching the show.

Photo: Getty Images

A 25-year-old woman from San Francisco was killed Tuesday falling down a waterfall in South Lake Tahoe, and a 24-year-old man from Petaluma is missing and still not found after meeting with a similar misadventure Sunday in Yosemite.

Recent San Diego State grad Hayden Klemenok, 24, who is originally from Petaluma, went missing Sunday after attempting to get some relief from the heat on a hike by Upper Chilnualna Falls in Yosemite National Park. As KTVU reports, Klemenok was with three friends on the hike around 2 p.m., and he was "on his hands and knees so he could dip his head and hat into the water." The friends said he lost his footing and slipped somehow, and disappeared into the water.

KTVU described the spot where he stopped as a "creek," but the Chronicle described it as the waterfall itself, saying that Klemenok "slipped and fell into fast-moving and freezing rapids."

Difficult terrain and still-remaining snow have made the search for Klemenok nearly impossible, and park officials have told his family that they believe he likely drowned.

"I was worried about things like dehydration, rattlesnakes, things like that," says his mother, Michelle Klemenok, speaking to the Chronicle. "I didn’t think about drowning. I knew he was a careful guy. … He was extremely physically fit, in the prime of his life. … I thought, well, if anyone can do [this backpacking trip], he can do it."

The Chronicle describes the missing young man as an "experienced backpacker," but his mother told KTVU that he was "not necessarily an experienced hiker."

Tragically, Klemenok's father, Kevin Klemenok, tells the Chronicle that he's "cried a lifetime" the past several days, and the family, after traveling by car to Yosemite to conduct a four-hour search of their own, is headed back to the Bay Area.

"“I arrived [thinking] we would find him battered or bruised," Kevin Klemenok says. "My son is five miles up in a canyon waterfall right now, and I’m leaving here with his three siblings, his mother, and an aunt, and we don’t have him. It’s horrible..."

A GoFundMe for the family has been started here.

Another, similar tragedy occurred Tuesday at Eagle Falls in South Lake Tahoe. 25-year-old Ishrat Azim of San Francisco was with friends, and they had pulled over to get a look at the waterfall, which is near Emerald Bay.

As El Dorado County Sheriff Capt. Michael Lensing explains to SouthTahoeNOW, Azim and her friends parked near the Eagle Falls parking lot, crossed the highway, and climbed over the guard rail to see the top of the waterfall. Azim then, reportedly, was holding a friend's hand while trying to dip her toes into the upper pool of the falls, but she slipped on wet rocks and was quickly pulled over the falls.

The incident was captured on cellphone video by a nearby group who had been recording the scenery.

Members of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team later located Azim's body, and she was declared deceased.

Photo: Sam Goodgame

21-year-old woman killed by falling tree in Yosemite National Park over the weekend, officials say https://t.co/E4a45Ifhed pic.twitter.com/4cT9JUBm7c

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 6, 2017

A 21-year-old woman was killed Sunday when a tree fell onto the tent cabin where she was staying at Half Dome Village, the camp formerly known as Curry Village in Yosemite National Park. The woman's name has not yet been released, and nor do we have any further details about the accident.

The camp has several dozen standard cabins and 403 heated canvas tent cabins available for rental year round for an average of $80 to $90 a night.

KCRA first reported the news of the accident and has a photo of the collapsed tent in the snow-covered camp. The incident happened around 11 a.m. Sunday. Snow blanketed the area and the weekend's storm brought high winds as well, increasing the risk of fallen trees. The camp was evacuated following the incident according to park spokesman Scott Gediman.

Two other camps, Upper Pines and Camp 4, were also emptied due to weather conditions but were expected to reopen Monday, as CBS News reports.

The news of the woman's death comes just days after the release of a list from Outside magazine about the 10 "deadliest" national parks, on which Yosemite ranked second when it comes to accidental deaths over the last decade, with 150 total, or an average of 15 per year.

Previously: Golden Gate National Recreation Area Among The 10 Deadliest National Parks

The couple whose lives have been permanently impacted by the failure of a tree in Washington Square Park are continuing to speak out and hold the city responsible for the accident. As the Chronicle reports, husband Jian Cong Tan, who goes by the name "Tony," continues to question the idea that the tree in question, a Canary Island pine, was healthy and properly maintained. "Why would it drop like that if it was healthy?" Tan asks. "If they are healthy, would a branch fall?"

Further, he says that Mayor Ed Lee promised that the city would cover all of the medical expenses for his 36-year-old wife, Cui Ying Zhou, who goes by the name "Emma." But the city attorney's office won't confirm that arrangement, saying only "In general terms, whenever the city is responsible for a harm, we do everything we can to work in good faith with claimants. It’s always our hope to reach a fair resolution amicably and without the need for litigation.” They say the matter is still being investigated.

Tan already said he would like be filing suit against the city, as CBS 5 reported last week on the day that Mayor Lee visited the couple at Laguna Honda Hospital. Zhou's recovery is expected to last over 16 months, and she is not likely going to be able to walk again.

Zhou was struck by the 100-pound branch on August 12 while she was sitting on a bench at the Washington Square Park playground watching her two daughters, ages 5 and 9, playing in the sandbox. The accident left her with a skull fracture and a severed spine.

The Rec & Parks Department says that the tree in question was last assessed in 2010, and was last pruned with the help of a neighborhood association in 2013. A tree expert tells the Chronicle that Canary Island pines are not typically prone to failures like this, where the branch severed close the trunk in fairly low-wind conditions.

In addition to awaiting the city's assistance with medical bills, Tan and Zhou can also expect a sum from a GoFundMe campaign which has so far raised $30,000 of a $50,000 goal.

Previously: Video: Woman Paralyzed By Fallen Tree Branch In North Beach Speaks Out

66-year-old Saleem Bey, who may also spell his name Saleem Bae, was one of three people injured Tuesday in a dramatic taxi crash on Market Street. Now, a customer of his has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help rebuild his shoeshine stand and help pay medical bills for both him and his "assistant," a 40-year-old homeless man known as Jaz, who remains in critical condition.

Sophia Chang launched the campaign, saying she first met Bey a year ago when he shined a pair of her boots, and she came to understand just how little his services were getting used by passersby — "He waits for customers in the bustling Financial District between 8-11 hours a day and only shines between 5-10 pairs of shoes a day at $7-10 a pair," she writes.

She says, "Making money as a shoe shiner was becoming harder and harder as the years went by, but Saleem hadn't given up on his craft because he's good at shining shoes, he loves people, and shining shoes is something he loves to do even if the money is sparse."

Needless to say, an accident like this could be devastating for his livelihood, and it's not likely that he has insurance, particularly for his wooden shoeshine stand.

Chang has made a modest goal of $10,000, and already has over $3,500 raised. Consider giving a bit, especially if you were a sometime customer of Bey's.

Says Chang, "As someone who's been blessed by Saleem's smiling face and iconic role in maintaining the old soul of San Francisco, I'd like to see Saleem return to his corner at Sansome and Market with a rebuilt shoe shine throne, ready to polish and shine again."

Related: Shoeshine Man Hit By Taxi Driver Speaks From Hospital
Witness: Cab Driver Was On Phone As He Slammed Into Market Street Shoe Shine Stand

As crews were dismantling the festival grounds following BottleRock last weekend, a 35-year-old man working for Richmond-based Top Productions was crushed by a beam while dismantling the VIP lounge area on Tuesday, and was killed. As KRON 4 reports, the incident happened Tuesday evening after 6:40, and the Napa Fire Department was dispatched to the fairgrounds to respond.

ABC 7 explains that the large metal beam had pinned the man, and that it took 15 workers to free him.

As SFGate has it, the incident happened earlier, around 5 p.m., and the man, who has not been identified, succumbed to his injuries by 7 p.m. They say investigators from Cal/OSHA "will be looking into the accident to see if any regulations were violated."

BottleRock organizers, Latitude 38 Entertainment, issued the following statement to KRON 4.

At this time an investigation is still ongoing. We are devastated by this news and our hearts go out to the family and friends of the deceased.

The corner of Polk and Hayes got a nice bath on Saturday afternoon after a car jumped the curb and hit a fire hydrant. As you can see in the video above, and the photo below, the resulting column of water shot up about seven stories.

It's unclear how long it took the SFFD to shut it down, but way to waste water, guys. Drought's not over!!

Previously: Look At This Spectacular Fire Hydrant Geyser On Folsom

A motorcyclist got very lucky last Wednesday evening after a driver blew a red light near San Francisco's Union Square, collided with the man's motorcycle, and sent him flying through the air, only to stick a perfect landing right on his feet. And he captured the whole thing on his helmet cam. This looks to have happened at Ellis and Cyril Magnin.

On YouTube, the motorcyclist mourns the death of his "heavily customized 2011 Daytona 675," but says he's lucky he just walked away with "bumps and bruises." He says "ATGAT saved me," referring to the acronym for "All the Gear All the Time" used by motorcyclists referring to always wearing helmets, jackets, and pads.

In the video you can see he's shaken up and not quite sure how hurt he is, and a passing nurse even comes to ask him what he's feeling and if she should call an ambulance.

He subsequently posted the video to Reddit and posted these images, including the one below, of the banged up bike.

A GoFundMe campaign set up two weeks ago to assist the San Leandro family of the window washer who survived an 11-story fall last month in SF's Financial District has more than tripled what the family initially asked for, thanks in part to heavy media coverage of the case. As the Chron reports, the family of Pedro Perez had asked for $20,000 to help make up the difference between what they were receiving from Worker's Comp and what Perez's full income actually was. But thanks to donations from almost 1200 individuals around the Bay, that fund is now over $73,000.

Says Perez's eldest daughter, Monica, "It means a lot to us to know that we’re not alone and that people are willing to give us what little they may have just to help us in this time of need." And, she adds, "It also gives my father a peace of mind to know that we won’t have to struggle any longer with the bills and that we are going to be OK."

Perez, 58, miraculously survived the fall on November 21 by landing on the roof of a passing Toyota Camry, the driver of which was not injured. He suffered head trauma (but no major brain damage), internal bleeding, and broken bones but he's been making a slow but steady recovery at SF General ever since. Soon, the family says, he'll be moved to a rehabilitation facility in Pleasanton, and they say he is eager to get back to work — "but not as a window washer."

Earlier in December there was some much publicized controversy regarding the slow response of Perez's union, SEIU United Service Workers West, in offering any assistance to the family.

Previously: Video: Window Washer Who Fell 11 Stories From FiDi Building Continues To Recover

Just before 2 p.m. this afternoon a car went barreling through the front doors of Comstock Saloon on Columbus Avenue, injuring two people — though it's unclear if the driver was among the injured, or if anyone inside the bar sustained injuries.

The scene's already been documented plenty on Twitter. The car appears to be a maroon BMW, and it went directly through the front entry doors, apparently not causing any structural damage. This happened at 1:48 p.m.

According to Chronicle reporter Evan Sernoffsky, 67-year-old Patrick Hagan was very nearly hit by the vehicle.

Further updates coming as they're available.

Update: The injured parties were, in fact, bar patrons, as the Chron reports. The driver cooperated with police and looks like he might be in some trouble.

The driver, whose name was not immediately released, was traveling southbound on Columbus Avenue when he lost control at Pacific Avenue and flew into the building, Lazar said. He was later arrested at the scene for an outstanding warrant out of Sacramento County on a marijuana-related charge, Lazar said.

Update 2: Comstock Saloon says they hope to reopen as soon as Thursday. [Eater]

[CBS 5]
[KTVU]

A woman who has not yet been identified died early Thursday morning when she fell under the wheels of a bus at Burning Man. The details of the accident have not yet been released, and organizers are still attempting to notify the woman's next of kin, as the Burning Man blog reports.

They've only said that the woman died "after falling under a bus carrying participants," and organizers are working with Pershing County sheriffs on an investigation.

Burning Man co-founder Marian Goodell issued a statement saying, "This is a terrible accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and campmates. Black Rock rangers and emergency services department staff are providing support to those affected."

At least 68,000 people are expected to attend the festival this year, which is manned by 500 private security personnel as well as 95 federal and local law enforcement officers.

This is hardly the first death to occur at the festival, but if you accept the official reports — which tend to stress the safety and the "spirit" of the event — it's the first one to occur in many years. The last officially recorded accidental death at Burning Man was in 2003 when 21-year-old Katherine Lampman died after being run over by an art car. Also, there was a suicide by hanging at the Comfort & Joy camp in 2007. But the rumors and debate about how many other deaths occur on the playa or as a result of Burning Man activities each year go on as organizers likely try to downplay or avoid any official reports. Deaths that occur at Reno hospitals or on the way in or out of the festival are purposefully disassociated with the event. But, as many have pointed out, cities of 70,000 tend to see at least a couple deaths per day, natural or otherwise, even though their populations might have more older people among them.

At least one man had a very close call with a lightning bolt just this week, on Monday, when rain and hail storms struck the playa and the Burning Man gates were closed for a day. Lightning struck in two spots, and one Heavy Equipment staffer reported he "was near where the lightning struck, and he said he could feel a jolt rise from the ground."

[Burning Man Blog]
[ABC 7]
[Chron]

Several people were injured when a high-speed chase Tuesday stemming from a Marin City domestic violence incident spilled over onto Bridgeway in Sausalito, and ended with a dramatic crash into a popular coffee shop. KTVU has video of the collision, in which the suspect vehicle careened off of another vehicle and plowed onto the sidewalk into several tables at the cafe. Luckily, injuries were only minor, and those sitting at Fred's Coffee Shop were able to jump out of the way as the car screeched to a halt in front of them.

The incident happened around 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the suspect vehicle was the driver, a man who was accused of assaulting the mother of his child, as well as that mother and her child. The suspect has been identified as 20-year-old Derrick McCann, of Marin City.

Per KTVU, "The suspect, the mother and her child where transported to the hospital with unknown injuries and along with the driver of a mini-van that was also struck during the chase."

[SFGate]
[KTVU]