In what is turning out to be a tragic replaying of history, SFPD is once again blaming the victim of a deadly bicycle crash. The March 2nd incident left 66-year-old Charles Vinson dead in the 14th Street intersection. According to the Examiner, “Oakland resident Noe Orozco said he witnessed the vehicle blow through a red light and strike the bicyclist as the bicyclist waited for the light to turn green.” Yet with even this clear witness statement, SFPD has publicly declared that Vinson was at fault, all the while providing zero evidence to support their claim. 

Streetsblog reports:

Contrary to initial reports, the SFPD says Charles Vinson, 66, ran a red light on his bike when he was hit and killed by a driver at 14th and Folsom Streets on March 2. […]

Streetsblog asked how the SFPD arrived at that conclusion. “There are many different factors involved, such as examining skid marks, measurements, placement of evidence from the collision, etc,” said Gatpandan. “As the case is still open and active, we do not discuss open and active investigation matters.”

So, while police are comfortable releasing their determination that the victim was at fault in this crash, they say it’s too soon to disclose any supporting evidence.

Is there video of the crash? Is there witness testimony? If so, does it come from bystanders, the driver who struck Vinson, or both? We don’t know, and SFPD isn’t saying.

This incident may remind some of the 2013 death of Amelie Le Moullac, who was killed when a truck made an illegal right-hand turn at Folsom and 6th and struck Le Moullac in the process. In that case, SFPD was quick to blame Le Moullac for her own death, going so far as to verbally harass a group of cyclists rallying for safer streets in the wake of Le Moullac’s death.

It was only when the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition obtained a video of the accident, which clearly showed the driver at fault, that SFPD retracted their hasty and false conclusion.

[Photo: Bryan Goebel]