Update, Feb. 24, 2020: More than a year after the car crash that resulted in the death of a renowned Berkeley researcher, a Pleasanton man was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter. Police ultimately said the driver caused the crash by driving on the wrong side of the road.
Update, Sept. 6, 4 p.m. Three people sustained serious injuries in a crash in downtown Berkeley on Wednesday that appears to have been the result of a medical emergency, authorities report.
The driver believed to have caused the crash, an 81-year-old man from Pleasanton, lost control of his BMW and ran into a Honda at Shattuck Avenue and Channing Way at 4:10 p.m. Wednesday, said Officer Byron White, Berkeley police spokesman.
The man continued south, but veered into the northbound lanes of Shattuck, sideswiping a Subaru at Dwight Way, White said. He then ran head-on into a Toyota at Dwight, according to police.
The driver, a 62-year-old woman from Davis, and a 91-year-old woman from Berkeley who were in the Toyota, as well as the BMW driver, were taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. All three were listed in stable condition as of Thursday afternoon, White said.
Original story, Sept. 5, 8:32 p.m. Three people are in stable condition at local hospitals after a car crash in downtown Berkeley late Wednesday afternoon, authorities report.
One person initially was said to be in critical condition, according to scanner traffic reviewed by Berkeleyside. But police said, as of Wednesday evening, everyone was listed as stable.
The crash took place in Berkeley at about 4:10 p.m. at Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way, said Berkeley Police Lt. Angela Hawk. Officers found three involved vehicles at Shattuck and Dwight, and another at Shattuck and Channing Way.
Hawk said northbound traffic on Shattuck “was diverted for about 40 minutes until the collision scene was cleared of vehicles and debris.”
Everyone involved in the crash was identified and cooperated with police, she said. There were no signs of impairment and no arrests were made.
All three patients who were taken to area hospitals were in stable condition as of about 7:30 p.m.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Video of the crash scene aftermath, shared with Berkeleyside by local resident Christine Schwartz, appears below.
