A 60-year-old San Francisco man was recently convicted of vehicular manslaughter for causing a pedestrian's wrongful death in San Francisco's pedestrian district last year. The man is a former deputy director of the Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's transportation development division.
"This verdict sends a clear message," a district attorney said. "Everyone should be able to walk our streets without fear of negligent motorists."
The man was making a left turn from Noe Street onto 14th Street when he struck and killed a 59-year-old pedestrian in the crosswalk. The man was driving with a walking boot on because of a stress fracture and told authorities that he was using his left foot to press the gas and brake pedals.
Although the man insists that his walking boot had nothing to do with the accident, a jury disagreed and found that he was driving negligently at the time of the crash.
It is unclear whether wrongful death litigation has begun against the driver. A wrongful death lawsuit is typically brought by the surviving family members of a fatal pedestrian accident such as this one. Funds from such suits can be used to compensate families for funeral expenses and lost future emotional and financial support from the pedestrian accident victim.
Source: Bay City News, "San Francisco: Man who drove with cast on foot convicted of vehicular manslaughter in fatal crash," July 19, 2012
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