Mary Fong Lau, the 79-year-old accused in the fatal crash at a West Portal bus stop that resulted in the tragic deaths of a family of four, has entered a plea of not guilty to four counts of felony vehicular manslaughter, as reported yesterday by the SF Standard. The crash, occurring on March 16, claimed the lives of Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, Matilde Moncada Ramos Pinto, and their two young children who were waiting at the bus shelter.
During her court appearance at San Francisco's Hall of Justice, Lau, who communicated in minimal English and had no interpreter present, was instructed by her attorney, Sam Geller, to speak more loudly to the yes and no questions of the arraignment process; Geller emphasized that the incident was a momentary loss of control, not a pattern of reckless driving, Lau had been on her way to deliver lunch to her brother, "when her car just took off," Geller noted in the courthouse hallway, this quote being drawn from a KTVU report.
Judge Simon Frankel, presiding over the case, has refrained from imposing home detention with electronic monitoring, which the prosecution had requested, citing that Lau did not appear to be a flight risk. The SF Standard illuminated Judge Frankel's statements concerning the public safety measures deemed unnecessary. Lau had her driving privileges revoked by the court and was ordered to surrender her license.
Geller, in defense of Lau, claimed that his client was deeply traumatized by the event and now fears even being a passenger in a vehicle. He described her as someone who lived a "straight-edge life," with a nearly impeccable driving record, free of speeding tickets and accidents. This accounting was corroborated by KTVU. Amidst these claims, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office has continued asserting that no mechanical failure contributed to the accident, challenging the sudden acceleration defense.
In light of the hazardous occurrence, local authorities, including the SFPD and SFMTA, have been rigorously investigating the circumstances leading up to the crash, as Hoodline outlined the bereavement shared by the community and the ongoing commitment to understanding this sorrowful incident. The next court appearance for Lau is a pretrial conference scheduled for October 10 as the defense and prosecution continue to prepare their respective cases.
