Crash that killed entire family haunts West Portal residents
Photographs of the San Francisco family killed in the West Portal crash fluttered in the wind outside West Portal Branch Library on Sunday, where an impromptu memorial overtook a patch of grass beside the Muni stop where the young family was struck as they waited for a bus to the zoo.
A steady stream of mourners stopped to observe the memorial Sunday afternoon, taking in the array of stuffed animals, grief-stricken notes and flower bouquets. Fresh flowers have appeared daily since last weekend, when a sport utility vehicle plowed into the bus stop, killing the entire family.
Passing parents clutched their children’s hands more tightly as they approached the memorial to glimpse photographs of the family, identified as Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, 40; Matilde Moncada Ramos Pinto, 38; Joaquim, 2; and Cauê, 3 months.
“It’s overwhelming,” Jason Satterfield said, pushing his 9-month-old son in a stroller. “It could have been anyone.”
The specter of the fatal crash has cast a shadow over the landmarks many parents like Satterfield frequent with their children. In addition to the library and nearby shops, West Portal Elementary School and its accompanying playgrounds and sports fields are just uphill.
Some people quietly observed the memorial before walking on. Others wondered aloud at the cause of the crash and the fate of the SUV’s driver.
The suspected driver Mary Fong Lau, 78, was released from police custody on Wednesday as San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins decides whether to press charges. Jenkins said she is awaiting toxicology results and a review of the vehicle’s operating systems.
Investigators continue to probe how Lau’s SUV veered into an oncoming lane of traffic and plowed onto the sidewalk, allegedly at high speed, nicking the library before barreling into the bus stop where the family waited.
Relatives of the family released a statement Thursday praising the couple as “warm and loving parents who had a deep love for their beautiful children and enjoyed nothing more than spending time with their two little boys.” The statement, released on relatives’ behalf by the Consulate General of Portugal, called Oliveira, a Brazilian creative director at Apple, and Pinto, a producer at Ridley Scott’s production company, “life enhancers — the kind of people everyone loved to be around.”
“The outpouring of love and grief from all over the world, which has greatly moved us, is a testament to this,” they added.
On Saturday, one week after the fatal collision, another vehicle crashed near a bus shelter around Golden Gate Park, injuring a pedestrian when it toppled a pole. The driver in that crash was cited for “multiple moving vehicle violations,” police said.
In West Portal, handwritten notes by children were interspersed among the flowers. One boy placed a blue giraffe between vases.
Bernal Heights residents Todd Johnson and Amy Anton observed the memorial with their 9-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter, who they said was fearful to approach the sidewalk where the crash had occurred. The family unexpectedly drove past the memorial while visiting the neighborhood, and stopped.
Despite having seen news coverage of the tragedy, Anton said seeing the photographs made her feel connected to the family — and gave her a newfound sense of horror.
“It’s the saddest thing,” she said.