Berkeley woman, 54, dies after North Oakland bike crash
Berkeley's Transportation and Infrastructure Commission had a moment of silence for Hongmei Chen at its meeting Thursday night.
A Berkeley woman died Saturday night at Highland Hospital after a bike crash at a busy North Oakland intersection.
Hongmei Chen was 54 years old.
The collision happened Saturday at about 2:25 p.m. at Shattuck Avenue where 51st and 52nd streets come together near the entrance to the Grove Shafter Freeway (State Route 24).
The Oakland Police Department said it appeared that a westbound driver with the right-of-way struck Chen after she went "through a red light" on Shattuck Avenue.
Chen had visible injuries to her face and was taken to Highland Hospital for treatment, Oakland police said.
She was pronounced dead at the hospital at 9:25 p.m., the coroner's office said.
Chen's death became public Tuesday after OPD issued a statement about it. Her name has not previously been reported.
At its meeting Thursday night, Berkeley's Transportation and Infrastructure Commission had a moment of silence for her.
In a statement this week, Traffic Violence Rapid Response, which advocates for traffic safety, noted that 17 people — including six pedestrians and one other cyclist — had been killed in Oakland traffic collisions this year.
George Spies, an organizer with the group, said he posted fliers near the crash site this week to learn more about what happened.
On Friday morning, he met with a witness who said she had been standing on the northeast corner of the busy intersection when the collision happened.
The witness said she had seen Chen on the southwest corner of Shattuck Avenue at 52nd Street waiting to cross the street.
As westbound traffic began to flow across Shattuck, Chen headed north in the crosswalk, the witness told Spies.
She got past the median but was struck by a westbound utility truck in the middle lane.
"Several witnesses responded immediately, including a doctor who ran from the gas station," Spies said. The ambulance arrived "extremely quickly."
Read more about traffic safety in Berkeley.
A review of the intersection by Traffic Violence Rapid Response found that the western crosswalk is controlled by a "beg button," meaning someone has to physically push it for the light to change. For cyclists, that's not always easy.
Spies said he plans to ask Oakland officials to modify the intersection such that turning traffic has to stop when pedestrians and cyclists have the right-of-way.
"There is currently no safe way for a cyclist to cross this high volume and high speed intersection," Traffic Violence Rapid Response wrote, calling on "elected leaders, Oakland Police Department, Oakland Fire Department, and the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) to treat the traffic safety crisis like the public safety crisis it is and to accelerate efforts to make Oakland’s streets safe for everyone, whether they are traveling by car, bike, on foot, or in a mobility device."
Oakland police said the crash remains under investigation and that they do not believe drugs or alcohol were factors.
OPD asks anyone with information about the incident to call its Traffic Investigation Unit at 510-777-8570.
