When authorities responded to the scene, they determined that a 95-year-old woman had been struck by a car in the crosswalk on the west side of the intersection. The driver was trying to make a left turn from Walnut Street onto Cedar Street when he hit the pedestrian
North Berkeley, CA – An elderly woman sustained major injuries in an auto-pedestrian collision in North Berkeley on Monday evening.
At about 5:15 p.m. December 29, the Berkeley Police Department received reports of a collision in the area of Walnut and Cedar streets.
When authorities responded to the scene, they determined that a 95-year-old woman had been struck by a car in the crosswalk on the west side of the intersection. The driver was trying to make a left turn from Walnut Street onto Cedar Street when he hit the pedestrian.
The woman was temporarily unconscious but regained consciousness at the scene. Medics with the Berkeley fire transported the woman to Highland Hospital with critical injuries.
The driver, only identified as a man in his 30s, stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
Police reported that impairment was not suspected to have factored in the incident. The Berkeley Police Department is investigating the crash.
Berkeley has seen an upward trend in traffic-related injuries and fatalities in recent years, despite the total number of collisions remaining relatively flat. The city, which adopted a “Vision Zero” action plan to eliminate all traffic deaths and severe injuries by 2028, faces ongoing challenges with unsafe speed as the most common primary collision factor. According to a March 2025 Berkeley Police Department (BPD) report, Berkeley crashes injured more people in 2024, reaching a six-year peak, and deaths rose from 2023 levels. In both 2023 and 2024, serious or fatal injuries accounted for approximately 13% of all injury crashes. In 2021, the city recorded eight traffic deaths, the highest number since at least 1984, which mirrored broader national trends in traffic fatalities. UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) contributes to the understanding of these issues by developing tools such as the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), which provides free public access to statewide crash data for detailed analysis and visualization. This data is used by local authorities and researchers to identify high-risk areas and inform safety improvement activities. In 2024, the intersection of Ashby and San Pablo avenues was the top collision location, while the intersection at University Avenue and Acton Street held that distinction in 2023.
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