An elderly pedestrian was struck and killed by a motorist on Wednesday evening near the Panhandle, continuing an alarming trend of pedestrian deaths within the past few weeks.
According to the Examiner's report on the accident, the pedestrian was 90-year-old David Grinberg. He was hit by a car while walking in a crosswalk at Baker and Fell. One eyewitness, Skip Pile, described the collision on Twitter, saying that the pedestrian "had made it across two lanes into the third when the light changed to green. The driver accelerated across the intersection and hit him." Pile continued, "The younger woman who was driving, got out and started crying. She was totally distraught. So two lives were damaged today." The SFPD has yet to disclose whether they arrested the driver or not.
SF Weekly says that this is part of an alarming trend for senior citizens who happen to live in the city. Senior and Disability Action, a local social justice advocacy group for senior citizens in San Francisco, confirmed to SF Weekly that Grinberg was a resident at the nearby Mercy Family Plaza, a low-income senior housing facility that sits right on the corner of Baker and Fell.
Grinberg's death is the third pedestrian death in less than a month. Two weeks ago, Gus Vardakastanis, the founder of Gus's Community Markets, died after he was struck by a car in Bayview as he bought supplies for his groceries. The driver in that hit-and-run has yet to be arrested. Plenty of memorials and remembrances for Vardakastanis went up in the wake of his death, many from people who spoke of his friendly and caring nature.
Related: Elderly Pedestrian Fights For Life Following Hit And Run