Residents Urge Cars To Slow Down After Teen Is Struck On SF's Busy John Muir Drive

SAN FRANCISCO - A 14-year-old girl is in the hospital fighting for her life after being hit by a car near Lake Merced.

Police said glare may have been a factor but people who know the area say something needs to be done to protect pedestrians on a dangerous stretch of John Muir drive. Residents feel the city needs to step in to improve safety.

They have seen the dangerous combination of cars flying by and parked cars, blocking the view of pedestrians walking into the road that happens here.

Police say it was at 6:15 Friday night when a woman in a black Mercedes struck the girl who as she crossed the street in the 600 block of John Muir Drive. The teen and her mother were taking their dog for an evening walk.

Investigators haven't said what caused the accident, but those who live the neighborhood say cars are always driving way too fast.

Cars go by really, really fast, they don't pay attention to the speed limit," says Lorrace Enriquez.

The posted speed limit on John Muir Drive is 30 miles per hour but with no speed bumps or signals, some drivers frequently go over the limit. Residents here want the city to come up with a quick solution to slow down the cars.

Enriquez adds, "Usually people have built pedestrian lights to signal for cars to slow down, we don't have that here so you automatically gas it... floor it."

Kian Tajik agrees and says with the way the street is laid out, pedestrian signal lights would be extremely helpful. As a resident of the Lakewood apartments, he's sometimes been surprised by pedestrians darting out on the roadway.

"All the time here cars are parked and I don't see the pedestrians," says Tajik gesturing to a line of parked cars that would obscure anyone stepping off the curb.

When he crosses the road, Tajik says he makes sure to make eye contact with the drivers. or just waits until the roadway is clear.

Residents feel both drivers and pedestrians have to be extra careful on this section of John Muir Drive.

Meanwhile, the teen victim is in the hospital with life threatening injuries. Her mom was also treated at the hospital, but her injuries were not as serious.