An apparently intentional hit-and-run in Martinez this morning appears to have concluded with another tragedy: A suicide at the Benicia Bridge. Authorities tell CBS 5 that 20 minutes after they received a call regarding three people injured in a pedestrian crosswalk, they learned that a woman had jumped from the bridge, leaving a vehicle matching the description of the one involved in the hit-and-run.
Contra Costa County Sheriff's Deputes tell ABC7 the car struck down three people in a crosswalk at the intersection of Court and Main Streets in Martinez after a hearing at the Family Law Center. The vehicle reportedly accelerated toward the three people, described as the estranged husband and two friends. Per witnesses, the driver then reversed, hitting the husband a second time. All three victims were taken to the hospital, having suffered moderate injuries.
“Based on all indications, it appears the female who jumped from the bridge was also the driver of the vehicle who struck the pedestrians,” Martinez police commander Eric Ghisletta said according to the Mercury News.
“It was deliberate. You can tell it was,” said one witness to the Merc, who added that "She stopped and people were pounding on her window to get it to break... The front end of her car was messed up and the front windshield was smashed in.”
Although a woman's body was found under the Benicia Bridge, the connection isn't yet officially acknowledged, and the name of the woman suspected in the hit-and-run has been withheld until the coroner's office can ID the body beneath the bridge.
Update: The body of Kimberly Goldman has been identified by the Contra Costa County coroner's office. Goldman was a Concord resident, and it's still suspected it was she who intentionally hit the three pedestrians.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.