Pedestrian, 75, dies days after Berkeley traffic collision
"I don't think anyone expected it would be fatal," a neighbor told The Scanner. The coroner's office identified the deceased man as Dinh Le.
A 75-year-old Berkeley man who was struck by a driver in a low-speed crash near Willard Park earlier this month has died, authorities report.
Dinh Le had been taking his evening stroll when the collision happened, said his daughter, Betty Le, writing this week on Nextdoor.
He died Sunday, Aug. 24, at Highland Hospital, the coroner's office said.
The collision happened Sunday, Aug. 17, at about 6:45 p.m.
The sun was low in the sky, a neighbor who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the crash told The Scanner.
The neighbor had been picking up trash on Derby Street when he turned around and saw a group of young people crowded around an older man on the ground.
A member of the group — they appeared to be high school or college students using the Willard soccer field — called 911. First responders arrived quickly.
The driver, possibly a father with his teenage son in the car, stopped and was cooperative with the investigation.
The pedestrian was conscious and active as they put him on a gurney, stabilized him and took him away, the neighbor said.
"Everyone was very professional, but I don't think anyone expected it would be fatal," he said. The atmosphere, he added, was of "concern for … an older man who has fallen on the road rather than a car accident. It didn't seem like it was a life or death situation."
The pedestrian appeared to have a bit of bleeding from the head but no serious trauma.
According to one early estimate, the driver had struck him at 10 mph.
The street was closed for about 20 minutes during the investigation, the neighbor said.
Police determined that the pedestrian had been walking south to cross Derby on the west side of the intersection when the driver, a 58-year-old Santa Clara man in a gray 2010 Acura MDX, struck hit him.
He was taken to the hospital with abrasions and cuts from the collision, Berkeley police said Tuesday.
This week, the collision remained under investigation, BPD said.
The neighbor told The Scanner that Derby Street is a common cut-through from College Avenue to Telegraph Avenue, but that most people obey the stop sign at Derby and Regent.
"Occasionally, people will speed past but that wasn't the case here," he said.
He said neighbors have already begun talking about what might be done to prevent another serious collision.
"We know that Derby Street is planned to be a bike corridor," he said Tuesday. "What does a bike corridor look like? How do we prevent something like this in the future?"
Local officials had also taken note.
"Even though excess speed does not appear to have been a factor, this tragedy shows the inherent risk cars pose to people walking and biking," said Councilman Mark Humbert, who represents District 8, where the collision happened. "The needless deaths we see on Berkeley streets hammer home why we need to redouble our efforts to make Berkeley safe and convenient for walking, biking, and transit instead of driving."
On Nextdoor, Dinh Le's daughter Betty, who lives in the Elmwood neighborhood, described her father as "one of the healthiest, happiest, most compassionate individuals in my life."
He "had a good 20 years left," she wrote. "Please help me find justice."
In her post, which is public, Le said she was hoping to find "information or video footage" of the crash.
"My father was the sweetest man," she told TBS. "Everyone that met him loved him. He would want this issue addressed."
Read more about traffic safety in Berkeley.
Le is the third pedestrian to have died this year in Berkeley traffic collisions.
Elise Lusk, 66, died in January after a driver struck her near Monterey Market.
In July, Roderick Nared, 67, died at the hospital after a driver struck him at Claremont Avenue and The Uplands.
Stay tuned for ongoing coverage.
Editor's Note: TBS added Councilman Mark Humbert's comment to the story after publication.
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Liz Fox
