A pedestrian struck by a driver on South King Road in San Jose last month has died from his injuries, San Jose police confirmed, making him the city's 39th traffic fatality of 2026. The man was crossing South King Road outside a marked crosswalk near Biscayne Way on September 13 when he was hit by a northbound 2014 Chevrolet SS around 7:48 p.m.
San Jose police said officers responded to the crash and that the pedestrian was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he was later stabilized. The Mercury News reported that the man died from injuries suffered nearly three weeks earlier. The driver stayed at the scene, called 911 and cooperated with investigators, and police say neither alcohol nor drugs appear to have played a role in the crash. The Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner notified police October 5 that the man had died on October 2, and his identity will be released by the office.
The collision happened weeks ago. The Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner notified police on October 5 that the man had died October 2, according to the San Jose Police Department. Police identified him as the city's 39th traffic fatality of 2026.
A Corridor Already Flagged as High-Risk
South King Road is not an unfamiliar name in San Jose's traffic-safety files. The city designated the six-mile stretch between Berryessa Road and East Capitol Expressway as a Vision Zero Priority Safety Corridor under its King Road Complete Streets Plan, identifying it as one of San Jose's most dangerous roads for severe and fatal crashes, according to the City of San Jose.
In response, city leaders approved installing automated speed-safety cameras along King Road as part of a pilot program authorized under California's Assembly Bill 645, with plans for 33 speed cameras and 63 potential locations, San José Spotlight reported. Despite that investment, the corridor has continued to see tragedy: in August 2025, a male pedestrian crossing outside a crosswalk at Aldrich Way, also on South King Road, was struck and killed by a pickup truck, as Hoodline reported at the time.
Why a Handful of Streets Carry So Much Risk
San Jose's designated Priority Safety Corridors, a small slice of the city's overall street mileage, account for roughly 46% of all traffic fatalities and severe injuries citywide, according to data cited in Hoodline's coverage of a fatal bicyclist crash on Tully Road. That concentration helps explain why South King Road keeps appearing in fatality reports even as the city pours resources into redesigns and camera pilots along the corridor.
The broader regional picture is similarly grim. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority data shows 529 people were killed or severely injured in traffic collisions across the county in a single year, with pedestrian crashes making up about 20% of all severe casualties, figures previously detailed in Hoodline's report on a Highway 85 pedestrian death.
The Legal Lines Around Mid-Block Crossings
California law draws a careful distinction in cases like this one. Under the state's Freedom to Walk Act, which took effect in 2023, officers are barred from citing pedestrians for jaywalking unless the crossing creates an immediate risk of collision.
This latest death follows other 2026 fatalities, including a fatal collision involving a Tesla at Santa Teresa Boulevard and Blossom Hill Road and a crash on Branham Lane.
Anyone with information about the September 13 crash is asked to contact Detective Leslie #4262 at [email protected] or 408-277-4654.
