11-year-old girl in life-threatening condition after being struck by Tenderloin van driver

11-year-old girl in life-threatening condition after being struck by Tenderloin van driverPhoto: Google Maps
Teresa Hammerl
Published on March 17, 2020

An 11-year-old girl suffered life-threatening injuries after being hit by a driver in the Tenderloin on Saturday.

Police say a 73-year-old man struck the girl with his van while she was walking at Larkin and Turk streets around 8:33 p.m. on Saturday evening. The girl was transported to a hospital, while the driver was arrested.

Officials said that the case remains a pending investigation. It's unclear if the driver was intoxicated or attempted to flee the scene.

The intersection of Larkin and Turk streets has been identified as a high-injury corridor under the city's Vision Zero plan, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024. According to city data, at least four other pedestrians have been struck by drivers and injured at the same intersection since 2016. 

The Tenderloin is one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods for pedestrians, despite having the city's highest per-capita number of children.

Last September, another young child — a 12-year-old boy — sustained life-threatening injuries after being struck by an SUV driver at Golden Gate Avenue and Leavenworth Street, just three blocks from Saturday's crash.


Anyone who has information about this crash is encouraged to contact SFPD via the department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444, or text TIP411 with "SFPD" at the start of the message.