Multiple-vehicle crash in San Francisco leaves 1 dead, 6 others injured
A multi-vehicle crash in San Francisco Sunday evening killed one person and sent several others to the hospital, including one victim with life-threatening injuries. A suspect was detained, police said.
The crash followed shortly after a multi-vehicle hit-and-run crash nearby on Interstate Highway 280, the California Highway Patrol said.
The San Francisco Police Department said the initial report of a crash came in at about 6:10 p.m. in the area of 6th and Harrison Streets. One person and a dog died at the scene and another person was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Six other people involved in the crash were either taken to the hospital or evaluated at the scene and released. At least seven vehicles were involved in the crash, firefighters said.
One of the cars involved was an unoccupied Waymo robo-taxi. A Waymo spokesperson said one of its vehicles was operating autonomously “when it was struck from behind in a multiple-car collision caused by a vehicle traveling well above the speed limit.”
The California Highway Patrol said that just before that collision, a black Tesla was involved in another hit-and-run crash involving four cars on northbound Highway 280 at the 6th Street offramp. Only minor injuries were reported, and no one was transported to the hospital, the CHP said.
Police have detained a possible suspect driver who was being treated at the hospital, the department said. Detectives are trying to determine if alcohol and/or drugs were factors in the collision and if the crash is related to the hit-and-run crashes on Highway 280 moments before the crash.
Debris from the crashes could be seen strewn for half a city block, the Fire Department said.
“There was some considerable energy in this collision,” said a Fire Department spokesperson.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie released a statement Sunday night about the collision.
“I have been briefed on the multi-vehicle incident that occurred downtown this evening,” he said. “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.”
The Fire Department said it expects the intersection to remain closed through the night.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
Brandon Downs is a digital content producer at CBS Sacramento.
