A Berkeley man is in critical condition after being struck by a car while walking on University Avenue just west of San Pablo Avenue on Tuesday night, authorities said.
“We received multiple 911 calls at approximately 8:23 p.m.,” said Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats, via email at about 11:20 p.m. The man was taken by the Berkeley Fire Department to a local hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
Coats said University Avenue, between San Pablo Avenue and Ninth Street, was closed to traffic while its Fatal Accident Investigation Team (FAIT) carried out its investigation at the scene of the accident, at University and 10th Street.
As of about midnight, officers had set up nearly 20 small yellow markers in the street, at University and 10th, to indicate pieces of evidence. Some investigators photographed the area while others appeared to take measurements or inspect the roadway.
Smokey red flares around San Pablo Avenue alerted drivers that the road was closed to through-traffic.
Berkeley Police Sgt. Robert Rittenhouse said he estimated the roadway would be closed for at least another two hours as the team worked to complete its investigation.
Police said the man who was driving the car has cooperated with the investigation, and that it’s too early to say whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the accident.
Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call the department’s Traffic Bureau at 510-981-5980.
Additional reporting was contributed by Berkeleyside staffer Emilie Raguso.
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