Pair tossed out of Go Car in Mission District crash

Two people on a sightseeing tour of San Francisco were injured Sunday when they were launched out of their open-top GoCar in a crash in the Mission District, officials and witnesses said.

The man and woman were tossed out of the three-wheel vehicle when they collided around 1:40 p.m. with a Toyota sedan in the intersection of South Van Ness Avenue and 24th Street, said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a police spokesman. The tiny GoCars are rented out for city tours, generally on an hourly basis, and are mostly seen in popular tourist spots.

Paramedics took the two to San Francisco General Hospital. Their conditions were not immediately available, but they were expected to survive, police said.

Michael Pesina was on his route cleaning up city streets for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department when he heard the wreck.

“I heard a big boom,” he said. “I came down and saw two people lying in the street. They were conscious, thankfully. I didn’t want to see any dead bodies.”

Pesina quickly called 911, while others at the scene tended to the victims. He said the two people were not wearing helmets, but he was not sure whether they were taken off at the scene.

The driver of the Toyota — who did not want to be named — said the GoCar ran a red light southbound on South Van Ness before he collided with them.

He remained at the scene and cooperated with police.

Dennis Mercer, a member of GoCar’s management team, responded to the scene to collect the mangled vehicle.

“The car is rooted,” he said, using Australian slang for ruined while he tried to figure out what to do with the wrecked car after towing it out of the intersection.

Investigators were looking into what led to the crash, but said they do not believe alcohol was a factor.

The intersection of South Van Ness Avenue and 24th Street was closed for about an hour while police processed the scene.