Dublin School Board Trustee Dies In Middle School Parking Lot Crash
DUBLIN (CBS SF) -- A collision in the parking lot of a Dublin middle school Wednesday morning resulted in the tragic death of a woman who worked as a trustee for the school district, according to authorities.
Dublin police said 48-year-old Catherine Kuo, a well-known member of the community who serves as a trustee for the Dublin Unified school board, died after being struck by a vehicle in the parking lot at Fallon Middle School.
Police responded to the school located at 3601 Kohnen Way around 11:45 a.m.
Upon arrival, officers discovered that the pedestrian was standing at the rear of a vehicle when she was struck from behind, pinning her between the two vehicles. The Alameda County Fire Department and paramedics arrived at the scene and began providing medical treatment before transporting her to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley.
Police identified the crash victim as Kuo and later confirmed that she succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
The cause of the collision is under investigation, but neither alcohol nor drugs appear to have played a role. Kuo, a mother of two, was volunteering at a food distribution event when the incident occurred, a district official said.
"Our heart goes out to Catherine's family and friends. We can't begin to fathom the impact of this loss to you. She dedicated so much of her heart, soul, and time to our community," read a letter from interim Superintendent Daniel R. Moirao. "Catherine had a lightness about her, a comforting manner that helped people feel at ease. She was friendly, nurturing, kind, and generous. We were lucky to have known her and will miss her more than words can express."
Kerrie Chabot, a friend of Kuo's, told KPIX 5, "She died giving back to our schools, she died volunteering. A tragic freak accident, but doing what she loved, doing what she loved."
Ken Lam, who has 2 kids at Fallon Middle School said, "It's just an accident no one wanted to happen."
Kuo was first elected to the school board in 2019. On Tuesday night, she appeared at the district's first in-person board meeting in a year.
"She didn't ever want to be the central figure and then she found herself on our school board because so many people loved her and encouraged her," Chabot said.
Chabot set up a GoFundMe account to help Kuo's husband pay for funeral expenses but Chabot hopes it also provides him some comfort, knowing how much she was truly loved by her community.
"If people can leave a kind message or memory, so that when he has the strength to read through the comments. That would do more than anything then," she said
The district said it is offering grief counseling services to help the community cope with this heartbreaking loss.
