SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco’s level three storm that just hit the city Tuesday, March 21, has resulted in the death of at least five people.
The San Francisco Police Department announced in a statement released Wednesday, March 22, that an SFFD sergeant was struck by a falling tree during yesterday’s storm. The incident happened while the sergeant was driving on the 800 block of Brotherhood Way. When officers arrived, personnel from the San Francisco Fire Department were on scene and had already extricated the sergeant from his vehicle.
He sustains life-threatening injuries and is currently being treated at a hospital. All that is known about his identity is that he is a 16 year veteran with the SFFD. Police said that his identity will not be released at this time.
Two victims who have not been identified were killed in two separate incidents. The first incident occurred on Post Street between Larkin and Hyde Streets in the city’s Lower Nob Hill neighborhood around 3:40 p.m. Two people were hit by a tree that had fallen on them leaving one severely injured and the other with life-threatening injuries. The pair was transported to Zuckerberg San Francisco General hospital. The patient with life-threatening injuries later died at the hospital.
Approximately 20 minutes later, tree branches fell and hit another person near 23rd Avenue and Lincoln Way in the Outer Sunset neighborhood. Medics arrived on the scene and transported the person to SF General with life-threatening injuries. That person was later declared dead at the hospital.
In the Tenderloin neighborhood a fallen tree injured someone on Ellis and Hyde Streets. It is unknown what condition the person is in or if they are suffering from life-threatening injuries.
In a prepared statement released Wednesday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said, “We saw areas of significant damage, as well as dangerous conditions caused by falling glass and downed trees. I want to thank all the City workers who have been out taking care of San Francisco during and after this most recent storm. Tragically, two people lost their lives, which is a grave reminder of how serious and dangerous this storm became. The repeated storms have been challenging, but our public workers have been out keeping residents safe, limiting damage as much as possible and quickly cleaning up the City.”
In nearby San Mateo County, the body of 29 year old Jesus Ivan Cruz-Diaz was identified by the coroner. Cruz-Diaz was driving a white utility van in the Portola Valley when a tree fell onto his vehicle around 1:30 p.m.
The Contra Costa County Coroner identified Thomas Huster as a deceased victim. Huster was a Walnut Creek Resident who was driving around 7 p.m. when a tree fell on his car on Stanley Dollar Drive. The passenger in his vehicle also sustained severe injuries.
The National Weather Service commented on the recent storms in San Francisco stating, “Even by the standards of what has turned out to be one of our most extraordinary winter seasons in a very long time, yesterday stands out.”
