New hit-and-run crash sparks concerns at Zachary's Corner
A UC Berkeley student spoke out this week after a hit-and-run driver struck her, causing lasting injuries, in one of Berkeley's high-injury corridors.
Seventeen years ago today, a driver struck and killed 5-year-old Zachary Cruz when he got off the school bus by UC Berkeley's Clark Kerr Campus.
The city has pledged to redesign the intersection to make it safer. But those changes haven't happened yet.
This week, a Cal student who just got hit by a driver at the same intersection pleaded with city officials to do more — before someone else gets hurt.
"It is not an 'if' but a 'when,'" said Lola Z, 22. "I am simply asking that action be taken now, not later."
(The Scanner is withholding her last name due to privacy concerns.)
Read more about traffic safety in Berkeley.
On Feb. 10, Lola was in the crosswalk heading home when a driver who was turning left onto Derby Street from Warring Street ran into her.
She remembers flying into the air and screaming. She was able to stand up and walk, but she was in shock.
The driver stopped briefly and opened his door to ask if she was OK.
"I said, 'I don't know,'" she said.
A bystander also asked Lola if she was all right, adding: "This isn't the first time this has happened at this intersection."
Lola, who lives nearby, was able to stagger home on her own.
Her roommates heard the thud of the driver striking her body but thought someone had just hit their trash bins.
They ran outside when they heard Lola screaming and tried to get the driver's information. But instead he drove away.
Her roommates, who are both EMT-certified, told her she had to go to the hospital immediately.
Her boyfriend took her to the hospital right away.
She had no broken bones but the crash left her with serious back pain, which she learned would result in lasting injuries.
"My multiple X-rays and MRI show spinal and vertebrae damage that I will need to deal with and pay for," she told city officials this week. "I know that I’m lucky to be alive — but being alive should not be the bare minimum expectation when crossing the street in your own neighborhood. I am angry that the city that I love allowed an accident that should not have happened."
The crash and its aftermath have continued to impact Lola, who is a senior at UC Berkeley this year.
"I can't really sit down for long periods of time and that's half of school, sitting in a lecture hall," she said.
One of her professors agreed to let her postpone a midterm due to her slow recovery.
"It has 100% consumed my life since the moment it happened," she said. "And consumed my family's life."
At this point, the driver has not been identified or arrested.
Berkeley police said he was in a gray SUV, possibly a Hyundai, and had a thick accent.
No other information was available this week about the investigation.
"I'm hoping that they find him," Lola said.
Immediate action is needed
After the crash, Lola got video footage from her neighbors and began to research the history of the intersection.
She came across about a dozen reported collisions in the area over the years: not just the crash that killed Zachary Cruz in 2009 but also the 2024 collision sent an 83-year-old pedestrian to Highland Hospital and the intentional crash last year that sent a 78-year-old cyclist to Highland.
She said she went to the Berkeley City Council this week because she wanted to push for short-term improvements as well as lasting changes.
She wanted to emphasize that immediate action was needed. She told officials that a blinking pedestrian light might prevent future collisions.
Lola had also noticed that the crosswalk paint was completely faded in the stretch where she was hit.
"I got pretty upset," she said. "I thought it was not acceptable."
"They have a plan," she continued. "But a plan's a plan. It doesn't mean much unless you do it."
Advocacy has already sparked some improvements
Clockwise from upper left: Lola's photograph of the intersection before Friday's paint job, followed by several images from the city of Berkeley showing Friday's improvements.
After Lola shared her concerns with officials this week, the city took action.
On Friday morning, a Berkeley public works crew "expedited the pothole patch repair to make the crossing safer and as of noon today we completed a full refresh of the intersection striping," according to a city email reviewed by The Scanner.
Councilman Mark Humbert, who represents the Claremont-Elmwood neighborhood where Zachary's Corner is located, has been tracking the issue closely.
"I'm deeply thankful to Lola for her courage and giving council and staff a powerful reminder of why we fight for street safety — and why fixing Zachary's Corner remains a top priority for me," Humbert told The Scanner. "We need to continue shifting our civic culture to prioritize the safety of people over speed for cars."
Once completed, the Zachary's Corner redesign will use new medians to slow drivers and protect pedestrians in the area, he said.
UC Berkeley settlement funds, which have already been allocated, will help pay for the project.
Depending on the city budget, construction at Zachary's Corner could begin this year.
