On April 16th our 2.5 year old son and nanny, Mily, were struck by a pickup truck in a marked pedestrian crosswalk at Laguna and Chestnut on their way to Moscone park. Our stroller was flipped upside down and totaled–the back wheels blown off. Our nanny was thrown a car's length outside of the crosswalk. I believe her vigilance kept our son from catastrophic injury.
Around the same time, three preschool teachers were apparently crossing the same intersection with a rope tow of several small children in neon vests. The preschool director commented specifically on the sound of the impact. The sound of a pickup truck making contact with a toddler and young woman. They and another witness described the driver as going 20-25 mph. This intersection is surrounded by parks, preschools, strollers, and families.
We are working closely with the Mayor and city officials to make this intersection safer for all the children and families that pass through - on their way to Moscone park, the library, and even to preschool.
Mily continues to deal with ongoing pain, medical appointments, and nightmares following the accident. She has cared for our son with incredible love, attentiveness, and dedication, and we are deeply grateful for her presence in our lives. We truly believe her quick instincts helped protect him that morning.
Because we still don’t know what insurance coverage may be available or how long any claims process will take, we wanted to create this fundraiser to help support her in the meantime.
If you feel moved to contribute, thank you, we know it will mean the world to Mily to be so deeply supported by her community. Additionally we are eager to collect signatures on this Change dot org petition to help show the city how many citizens are eager to change these crosswalks - please sign!
This is a reminder to us all to walk with purpose and pay attention to our surroundings- red lights and stop signs unfortunately do not always force cars to stop. We have heard from so many families who have had similar experiences and hope we can be one of the last in San Francisco.
We’re incredibly thankful to the neighbors, teachers, first responders, and strangers who stopped to help that day. Their kindness meant so much to our family.