Witness says elderly man banged on window of your bus @ Divisadero & Post but driver kept going. #abc7now @SFPD pic.twitter.com/UiywjiOnrZ
— Katie Utehs (@KatieUtehs) January 16, 2016
According to the San Francisco Police Department, it's still too early to say who was at fault after the driver of a tour bus fatally ran over an elderly pedestrian as he crossed an SF street.
The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office today identified the deceased as 82-year-old SF resident Pieter Roell, who was killed as he crossed at Divisidero and Post Streets at around 1 p.m. Saturday.
According to witness Frank Zarich, who spoke with ABC7, Roell was crossing Post as he headed south on Divis. The bus driver was driving north on Divis, then turned right onto Post.
Witnesses said Roell was banging on the bus window to alert the driver before he was struck, and according to Zarich "at the point that he's banging on the window he's on the driver's side."
“The old guy was at the intersection, waving his arms at the bus,” Zarich told the Chron. "He was looking right at the bus, shouting something and waving his arms."
"Based on the light, the pedestrian was walking on a red light, I'm not sure if he entered the intersection on a green light, or not...Then as the bus kept going I saw the guy stuck under the bus being dragged for a few feet and I'm yelling,'Stop, stop, stop,'" Zarich said.
"I have no idea why (the driver) didn't see him — unless he was looking somewhere else — but he must have passed right in front of him," Zarich told the Chron.
“He wasn’t driving fast, but he just kept going.”
Roell was declared dead at the scene after suffering fatal head injuries when the bus' rear tires ran him over.
According to ABC7, the bus was part of the San Francisco Deluxe Sightseeing Tour Bus fleet. Their attorney says that the bus driver "has been with Deluxe Sightseeing for around two years and his mandatory certifications are current."
SFPD Lt. Wilfred Williams says that "the tour bus company, as well as the driver, they are cooperating with our investigation at this time." Investigators have also interviewed tour bus riders and witnesses, and say that they are seeking surveillance footage of the intersection.
According to Williams, "it is early in the investigation to say who had the right of way." As of yet, the driver has not been cited, but “that doesn’t mean [the driver] won’t be [cited] later,” SFPD spokesperson Officer Carlos Manfredi told the Ex.
This is the third tour bus crash in San Francisco in the last two months, following a November 13 wreck in Union Square that injured 20 and a December 26 crash on the Embarcadero that injured eight. According to State Senator Jerry Hill, this recent proliferation in crashes indicated that California's tour bus industry needs stricter regulation.
“We need to look at this and see where the regulations are not adequately providing safety,” Hill told the Chron.
“We want to know what we can do to better enforce and oversee an industry that is growing and may be unsafe.”
Previously: Tour Bus Driver Fatally Strikes Elderly Man At Post And Divisadero
CHP Releases Its Report On City Sightseeing Buses, Finds Multiple Mechanical Problems
Double Decker Tour Bus Crashes On The Embarcadero, Injuring Eight