An 83-year-old Berkeley man was taken to the hospital Thursday when a driver struck him as he rode his bike through Marin Circle in the Berkeley Hills, authorities report.
Scroll down for information about a pedestrian crash on Marin on Friday
The driver, a 45-year-old Richmond woman who was already in the traffic circle in her Honda Odyssey, struck the cyclist as he entered the circle just, heading uphill, before 8:50 a.m. Thursday, leaving him with a head injury, said Officer Byron White, Berkeley police spokesperson. The man was taken to Highland Hospital for treatment.
Police did not have an update on his condition Friday.
White said the driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. Neither alcohol nor drugs appear to be factors, he said.
White cautioned that the available information is preliminary because the investigation report has not been completed.
Pedestrian crash on Marin on Friday
On Friday afternoon, police responded to nearly the same location — Marin and Shattuck avenues, a block east of the circle — for a pedestrian crash sometime before 3:50 p.m.
Police said the pedestrian, who was elderly, sustained a leg injury and was taken to Highland Hospital as a precautionary measure due to their age.
A reader who was in the area of the crash provided a brief description of what had happened: “Accident involving a pedestrian and an impatient driver heading down Marin this afternoon! Around 3:45 this afternoon. The diverted traffic is full of even more impatient drivers.”
She continued: “It’s time to close Marin to downward traffic. My kids and I bike every day to school and the gym, and it’s frankly terrifying to go near Marin and the circle. Please cover the stories and raise awareness. All of the pedestrian and cycling accidents, and people’s outrageous reactions blaming the victims, are turning me into a safe streets advocate.”
No further information was immediately available. Berkeleyside will update this story if more details are provided.
Traffic safety on Marin Avenue a problem this year
Last week, Dec. 1, a 75-year-old Berkeley woman ended up in the ICU after a driver struck her as she crossed Marin at Euclid Avenue, police said previously. BPD said there were no updates on the woman’s condition to report this week.
In May, a driver and his passenger were killed when they crashed at Santa Barbara Road after hurtling down Marin Avenue in an older-model sedan. The investigation report remains incomplete pending analyses from outside agencies, but the cause appears to have been mechanical due to brake failure, BPD told Berkeleyside recently.
Berkeley has been plagued this year by serious traffic collisions, which have so far resulted in eight deaths: five pedestrians and three people in vehicles. Police have struggled to keep up with those investigations due to chronic short staffing.
The BPD statistics do not even capture all of the traffic fatalities in the area in recent months: In September, two motorists were killed on the freeway when they got out of their vehicles to argue and, in October, a cyclist died from a medical emergency while biking near Aquatic Park. In November, a Berkeley midwife died after crashing while cycling in the Oakland Hills not far from the Berkeley border.
If you see a serious collision in Berkeley, please let us know. We often rely on reader tips to find out about these incidents.
In November, a woman biking in South Berkeley was critically injured when a driver ran over her north of Ashby Avenue. The California Highway Patrol took on that case because the city’s traffic enforcement resources are stretched so thin. The CHP said last week that the woman was in stable condition.
The city is working to end traffic fatalities and severe injury crashes by 2028 through a program called Vision Zero.