Baby dies from injuries in SF West Portal crash that killed parents, brother: SFPD
SAN FRANCISCO - The 3-month-old baby involved in the fatal West Portal bus stop crash in San Francisco has died from his injuries, police confirmed.
The baby, Caue, was the last survivor of the crash that claimed the lives of his father, Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, his mother Matilde, and 1-year-old brother Joaquim.
Diego Cardoso de Oliveria was a citizen of Brazil, and the Brazilian Consulate-General in San Francisco released a statement about the crash, saying in part:
"We are deeply saddened to address the recent tragedy that occurred last weekend. Our hearts go out to all those affected by this devastating event…in the meantime, we ask for your understanding and respect for the privacy of the individuals and families impacted by this tragedy. Our thoughts remain with them during this difficult time.
His mother initially survived the incident before dying at a hospital the following day.
The deadly crash occurred at Ulloa Street and Lenox Way in San Francisco Saturday afternoon after a Mercedes SUV crashed into the family waiting at the bus stop.
Mary Fong Lau, 78, was arrested on suspicion of three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter, driving the wrong way, reckless driving, and driving at an unsafe speed.
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Lau was also hospitalized for the crash and is reportedly cooperating with police.
She has yet to be charged with any crimes and her lawyer, Sam Geller, said that as of Thursday, she was no longer in police custody.
In a statement, Geller said that Lau " joins the community in mourning the tragic loss of life that occurred in West Portal over the weekend."
He said that Lau has been "fully cooperating with investigators and will continue to do so."
"While it’s understandable to seek more information regarding the causes of this devastating accident, Ms. Lau and her family respectfully request privacy during this difficult time as investigators continue to gather relevant information," the statement continued.
Routes were temporarily rerouted away from the crash scene on Saturday, and on Monday evening, a vigil was held in honor of the victims.
Walk SF, a pedestrian safety advocacy group, helped organize Monday's vigil, where hundreds attended. According to the group, the family is the fifth, sixth, and seventh deaths on a city street so far in 2024.
"Our whole city is grieving this, and I think we should be," said Walk SF's Marta Lindsey. "Part of that is because so many of us are feeling how dangerous our streets are too often and that feeling that it could have been me, or it could have been any of us."
It remains unclear if a medical issue caused Lau to crash into the family.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott attended the vigil, where a makeshift sidewalk memorial to the family grows each day with more flowers and stuffed aninals and people stopping by to pay their respects.
Isla Ferguson, a community member, stopped by, even though she didn't know the family.
"I don't know what happened with the driver, but this intersection is awful for a pedestrian," she said. "I'm here every day. I think it's just a real wake-up call that something needs to be done to improve traffic flow."
An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the age of the baby as 6-months-old. We have made a correction.