Identities of family killed in horrific San Francisco West Portal bus stop crash confirmed by medical examiner
San Francisco officials on Tuesday confirmed the identity of the family members killed in Saturday's violent crash in the West Portal neighborhood.
The collision happened at around 12:13 p.m. Saturday near the West Portal Muni Metro station. Four people were standing at the bus stop at Ulloa Street and Lenox Way, outside the West Portal Branch Library, when an eastbound Mercedes SUV struck the buss shelter, authorities said after the terrible crash.
Friends of the victims had previously identified the victims as a family of four on an outing to celebrate the parents' wedding anniversary.
The San Francisco office of the Chief Medical Examiner sent out a release Tuesday morning that identified the victims killed in the crash as the father, 40-year-old Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, 38-year-old mother Matilde Moncada Ramos Pinto, and their toddler son, one-year-old Joaquin Ramos Pinto de Oliveira. All three are San Francisco residents.
Cardoso de Oliveira and his son Joaquin were pronounced dead at the scene. Moncada Ramos Pinto died from her injuries on Sunday, authorities announced. Only the couple's infant, a baby boy, survived the crash as of Tuesday.
Sadly, CBS News Bay Area learned on Wednesday that the infant had also died, raising the death toll in the terrible accident to four.
Witnesses said the driver was going between 50 and 70 miles per hour in the wrong direction on Ulloa Street. They said there were no signs of braking and no skid marks on the road.
Monday morning, San Francisco police announced the arrest of the elderly driver involved in the crash. Jail records indicate the suspect driver, identified as 78-year-old Mary Fong Lau, was booked Sunday afternoon on charges of vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving, reckless driving with bodily injury, driving the wrong way on a divided road, and driving at an unsafe speed.
Although police announced her arrest, Lau's attorney told KPIX she is still at the hospital being treated for her injuries and has been hospitalized since Saturday. Her condition and the severity of her injuries remain unknown.
On Tuesday, Lau and her family released the following statement through her attorney:
"Ms. Lau and her family join the community in mourning the tragic loss of life that occurred in West Portal over the weekend.
We express our gratitude to the San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco Fire Department, and all of the other first responders that responded to the scene, and to the San Francisco District Attorneys Office for undertaking a diligent and thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to this tragic accident. Ms. Lau has been fully cooperating with investigators and will continue to do so.
While it's understandable to seek more information regarding the causes of this devastating accident, Ms. Lau and her family respectfully request privacy during this difficult time as investigators continue to gather relevant information."
Friends said Diego was originally from Brazil and his family members were flying to San Francisco. They also said Matilde was originally from Portugal and her family is flying to the Bay Area as well.
Since the deadly crash, a growing memorial has appeared at the Ulloa Street bus stop. On Monday night, a large group of people gathered at the crash site, some of them in tears, to remember the young family.
"It's just so incredibly sad," said resident Larry Nelson. "I mean all they were doing was going to the zoo. You know, and then the little baby is still in the hospital. It's just heartbreaking."