A 15-year-old boy was hurt Tuesday evening after being struck by a driver suspected of driving under the influence in a San Mateo crosswalk, according to police. The collision happened around 7:20 p.m. near the intersection of Alameda de las Pulgas and Hobart Avenue. The teen suffered an arm injury and multiple abrasions and was taken to a nearby hospital.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, and the vehicle was towed from the scene, according to Patch. Police said the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office would review a potential additional charge of DUI causing injury. The crash was also reported by KRON4.
A Crosswalk Already Flagged for Safety Upgrades
The stretch of Alameda de las Pulgas where the teen was hit has been a focus of city safety work in recent months. As of October, the City of San Mateo said it had completed quick-build safety improvements at four intersections along the corridor, including at Hobart Avenue, according to the City of San Mateo. A local elected official’s recent update described the Hobart Avenue work as finished, listing a new red curb restricting parking, new crossing signs meant to alert drivers to pedestrians, and new road markings reminding vehicles to yield, per Lisa for San Mateo.
A separate, more extensive project at that same intersection has not been completed and is estimated for fall 2027. The city’s plan called for relocating the existing crosswalk about 30 feet north and adding new curb ramps and rectangular rapid-flashing beacons. The quick-build measures already in place and the longer-term redesign were distinct phases of the same safety push, which traces back to San Mateo’s Local Roadway Safety Plan, adopted in 2024 after the city studied collision data and gathered community feedback.
Part of a Pattern of DUI Crashes in San Mateo
Tuesday’s crash is not the only recent case in San Mateo involving a driver suspected of being impaired. In May, police said a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of DUI after a series of hit-and-run collisions, according to the East Bay Times. A juvenile passenger in that incident suffered minor injuries and was turned over to a parent, the outlet reported.
Other recent crashes in the city have had far more severe outcomes. A separate collision left one adult dead and two children hospitalized, according to KRON4. And in a case that took more than a year to result in charges, San Mateo County prosecutors charged a driver with felony vehicular manslaughter after a crash on Alameda de las Pulgas killed a 30-year-old mother and critically injured her two sons, earlier Hoodline reporting showed.
No further details on the condition of the 15-year-old boy or on any formal charges against the driver arrested Tuesday have been released. Whether the DA’s office will pursue the additional DUI-causing-injury charge remains under review, police said.
