Pedestrian struck and killed at San Mateo intersection

The woman, whose name has not been released as of Jan. 23, was transported to the hospital where she died. San Mateo and its neighboring cities have experienced several pedestrian fatalities over the past year. Just two months ago, a man was also hit by a car and killed while walking in neighboring Foster City, and in August, a 4-year-old boy was fatally struck by a car in Burlingame. Last February, a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run incident in San Mateo, which hasn’t yet resulted in any arrests.

Rich Hedges, San Mateo resident and former councilmember, was nearby when the incident occurred.

“It should’ve been a protected crosswalk. It should’ve never happened,” Hedges said. “It’s just a very dangerous place to be a pedestrian.”

Making improvements to the intersection is difficult, since El Camino Real is under Caltrans, or state, jurisdiction, not the city’s. That isn’t the first time a pedestrian was struck at that intersection, he said, adding that the city and county need to keep pressuring the state to make the crosswalk more protected.

“We need to put pressure on Caltrans to get this done,” he said. “There have been too many people hit.”