Person and dog killed, several hurt in San Francisco multi-car crash, authorities say

SAN FRANCISCO — Police in San Francisco have detained someone suspected in a multi-vehicle collision Sunday evening that killed one person and a dog and sent others to the hospital.

One of the vehicles involved was a self-driving Waymo car which was damaged, but its involvement in the crash is not yet known, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department said.

In a statement, a Waymo spokesperson said: “An unoccupied Waymo vehicle was operating autonomously in San Francisco when it was struck from behind in a multiple-car collision caused by a vehicle traveling well above the speed limit. The trust and safety of our community remain our top priority, and we are coordinating with local safety officials.”

Emergency responders got the call about the collision in the area of Sixth and Harrison streets around 6:10 p.m. Seven vehicles and eight people were involved in the collision. One person and a dog were pronounced dead at the scene, SF Fire said. One person was taken to a trauma center with injuries. The rest received minor injuries or did not require medical attention.

As of 7:30 p.m., two vehicles remained in the intersection and the rest were underneath the freeway, the fire department said. Debris could be seen strewn for half a city block.

“There was some considerable energy in this collision,” said the Fire Department spokesperson.

Police said a possible suspect driver is being treated at the hospital and is detained as SFPD investigates the incident.

In a press release, San Francisco Police Department said:

“Investigators are working to determine if drugs and/or alcohol were factors in the collision. Investigators also working to determine if the incident is related to multiple hit-and-run collisions that occurred on NB Interstate 280 moments earlier. The CHP is investigating that incident.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie released a statement Sunday night writing:

“I have been briefed on the multi-vehicle incident that occurred downtown this evening. It is a tragedy to lose someone on our streets, and our thoughts are with all those affected and their families. We hope those injured will make a full recovery.
“Public safety has been my top priority from day one, and traffic safety is public safety.

“I want to thank all our first responders from the Fire Department, Police Department, Department of Emergency Management, and Animal Care and Control, who were on the scene within minutes after this incident occurred. SFPD is conducting a thorough investigation and will take further action as appropriate.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.

ABC7 News contributed to this report.