After fighting for his life for weeks, a cyclist who was struck by the driver of a stolen minivan passed away this weekend.
On July 28, cyclist Zach Watson was one of six people injured when a stolen minivan allegedly driven by 26-year-old Anthony Wisner slammed into a taxi, then jumped the curb at Post and Jones Streets.
Wisner was allegedly fleeing after a police officer attempted to pull him over for "a traffic infraction violation." Wisner then allegedly ran a red light, struck a cab, and in the process also struck Watson and a pedestrian. Wisner allegedly continued to try to evade police even after the collisions, hopping on a 38-Geary bus. That's where officers found and arrested him.
At the time of the collisions, witness Andrew Small said that Watson's "bike is over there mangled, so we can imagine" the severity of his injuries.
First responders "were aggressively trying to resuscitate him," Small said at the time.
Sadly, however, the 29-year-old man's injuries were too severe and, the Chron reports, he "passed peacefully, surrounded by a crowd of family and friends," at San Francisco General Hospital on Saturday.
In an effort to honor Watson's enduring love of math, his life support was removed at 3:14 p.m., a time intended to symbolize the mathematical constant pi.
The Exploratorium, where Watson worked as an exhibit developer, released a statement saying that they are "heartbroken at the loss of Zach, who was an extremely talented and valued member of our community."
Watson was also a swing dancer who took classes and performed at The 9:20 Special, which will be hosting a memorial for him on Thursday, the Chron reports. The community is welcome to attend.
Meanwhile, Wisner remains in SF jail under charges of with driving a stolen vehicle, running a red light, speeding, six counts of felony hit and run, driving with a suspended license, a pedestrian right-of-way violation, reckless driving, and altering/forging license plates. The District Attorney's has yet to say what, if any, new charges they'll bring against him following Watson's death.
Wisner is expected to return to court on August 29.
Previously: Driver Tries To Flee On 38 Geary After Striking Cab, Cyclist, Pedestrian
[Chron]