BREAKING:
#SF cable car operator injured in June crash dies
https://t.co/rcBvLqGT7k
#Muni #Transit pic.twitter.com/iuwbRSHIEV
— SF Examiner (@sfexaminer) January 12, 2016
Seven months after a San Francisco cable car operator was allegedly struck by an intoxicated motorcyclist, the veteran Muni driver has died, the San Francisco Medical Examiner's office confirmed Tuesday.
It was around 10:30 p.m. on June 11, 2015 when then-50-year-old Reynaldo Abraham “Avy” Morante stepped off his cable car at Taylor and Francisco streets. That's when he was struck by a motorcyclist who illegally passed the transit vehicle, KQED reported at the time.
Morante suffered a fractured skull and a traumatic brain injury as a result of the collision, KRON4 reported in June, and was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital. He has remained in a coma and on life support since, and was cared for at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center until his death Tuesday morning.
The motorcyclist, then-22-year-old William Kanta Makepeace, remained at the scene of the crash and was "promptly arrested," police said at the time.
According to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, Makepeace’s blood alcohol level was .12 percent at the time of the collision. Any reading over .08 is considered over the legal limit in California.
As of June, Makepeace, who according to a LinkedIn page noted by KRON4 works in "Financial Sales and Analytics" at the San Francisco branch of Bloomberg, LLP had pleaded no contest to two felony counts of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, Bay City News reports.According to the Ex, Makepeace remains out on bail as of Wednesday.
However, that could soon change, as Makepeace might face additional charges in the wake of Morante's passing. A spokesperson for the DA's office said via written statement Tuesday that “we are in the process of evaluating what additional charges may be appropriate in the wake of the victim’s death."
According to the Ex, Morante has left behind two adult children, Josephine and Andrew, and his brother, Alan. A memorial service for Morante is tentatively planned for this Saturday at Grace Cathedral.
In a statement emailed Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Ed Lee said that Morante "served as a Muni operator for more than 20 years and became a cable car operator in 2014. He was a dedicated City employee who dreamed of being part of San Francisco’s historic cable cars, and he served our residents and visitors with great distinction."
"He will be greatly missed by all," Lee wrote.
"Our thoughts and prayers remain with his family, friends and colleagues during this time of mourning and sorrow."