SFPD Releases Photos, Video Of Suspect Vehicle In Pedicab Hit-And-Run
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Police in San Francisco on Thursday released photos and video of the suspect vehicle involved in a horrific hit-and-run on the Embarcadero with a pedicab that left the operator in a coma and injured four others, including two children.
The accident happened late Wednesday afternoon at about 4:15 p.m. on the Embarcadero at the intersection of Sansome Street not far from Pier 29. The suspect vehicle, a gold or champagne-colored four-door Honda Civic sedan, was traveling southbound on Embarcadero swerving through traffic when it struck the pedicab, according to police.
Authorities said the collision with the pedicab caused it to collide with a second pedicab that was riding alongside it.
The driver of the pedicab the car struck, a 66-year-old male, was seriously injured in the crash and remains hospitalized in critical condition. Additionally two passengers in the first pedicab, a 32-year-old woman and her 5-year-old daughter, and the passengers in the second pedicab, a 33-year-old man and his 8-year-old son, also suffered minor injuries.
Those four victims, all members of of a family visiting San Francisco from Vancouver, British Colombia in Canada, were treated for their injuries and released from the hospital.
On Wednesday, police said the suspect vehicle was last seen traveling at a high rate of speed down the Embacadero towards the Bay Bridge.
Police released several photos and video showing the suspect vehicle Thursday afternoon, posting the images on the department's Twitter account.
The surveillance video was taken by cameras on a Muni streetcar that was passing through the area at the same time.
The hit-and-run collision occurred at a busy time of day on the Embarcadero. Investigators are asking anyone who was in the area of the Embarcadero and Sansome at around the same time to check cell phones, dash-cams and surveillance systems for photos or video of the collision and/or the suspect vehicle.
KPIX 5 spoke with a friend of the injured pedicab operator Wednesday night.
The friend, who identified himself as Paul, said that the accident has shaken the community of pedicab drivers who work the Embarcadero.
"He's improving, but non-responsive," said Paul. "Still in a coma. Fractured skull, bleeding in the brain. It's not pretty."
The operator, identified on a GoFundMe page set up to raise money to help him as Kevin Manning, has been riding for Cabrio Taxi Pedicab for six years.
The page says Manning suffered "serious injuries to his skull, face, and legs." The money raised is intended to "alleviate some of the financial burden" including time off work and medical bills while he is recovering.
On Thursday, friends said his leg is broken and he has a breathing tube after surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.
In an industry that has operated in San Francisco for over 35 years, this is the first accident of this nature. So we are all pretty shaken up," said friend and fellow pedicab operator Paulo Serena.
Manning's cycling prowess impresses his colleagues. Serena called him an ox. While pedaling other people around seemed the perfect job, it is not his main job.
"[It's] our side hustle. And as an engineer and investor, Kevin was trying to survive while he got his invention off the ground," said Serena.
That invention is a sophisticated bit of engineering that relates to cycling.
He manufactured a bike pump that is inside the wheel hub. And as the wheel turns as you're pedaling, the pump self inflates the tire." said Serena. "It has many applications. Namely for wheelchairs or for bike touring if you have a slow leak in the tire, the pump will inflate the tire so you continue your ride."
