S.F. worker fatally struck by tourist bus outside City Hall

A pedestrian, Priscila “Precy” Moreto, was hit and killed by a tourist trolley in front of San Francisco's City Hall Thursday morning. A pedestrian, Priscila “Precy” Moreto, was hit and killed by a tourist trolley in front of San Francisco's City Hall Thursday morning. Photo: Heather Knight Photo: Heather Knight Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close S.F. worker fatally struck by tourist bus outside City Hall 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

A staff member of the San Francisco controller’s office was fatally run over by a tourist bus in a crosswalk directly in front of City Hall on Thursday morning, authorities and witnesses said.

The well-traveled, mid-block crosswalk on Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place — which connects City Hall to Civic Center Plaza — has prompted safety concerns in the past. Plans have been under way to install a traffic signal, city officials revealed after the accident.

The woman, who was in her 60s but was not immediately identified, was returning to City Hall with a group of people when she was hit by the bus around 11 a.m., said city Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge.

The woman was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead, said Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman.

Witnesses at the scene, who did not want to be identified, said the victim was in a crosswalk when she was hit by the front and rear tires of the bus, which was designed to look like a San Francisco cable car.

Driver 'very careful’

Several sightseers were on the bus and said that because they were focused on looking up at City Hall, they didn’t see the woman get run over. One person, who declined to give her name, said the bus was going very slowly, probably less than 5 mph.

“He’s a very careful, slow driver,” the woman said. “We’ve been out with him for 2½ hours, and he’s been very, very cautious.”

A woman who was leaving City Hall at the time of the collision said she saw the victim being run over by the rear wheels of the bus. The woman, who would give only her first name of Mona, rushed to comfort the victim, who was badly wounded but still conscious.

“I was talking to her,” Mona said. “I kept telling her it was going to be OK, telling her to stay with me.”

The driver remained at the scene and gave a statement to police. He was overheard by witnesses telling police that he didn’t see anyone in the crosswalk.

Bob Salmon, a spokesman for the bus company, Classic Cable Car Charters, said in a brief statement that the firm was “investigating an accident with a pedestrian that occurred earlier this afternoon near City Hall. Our thoughts and prayers are with the pedestrian and her family.”

Former City Supervisor Susan Leal was injured in the same crosswalk in 2007. She was struck by a car and tossed about 30 feet.

Mayor Ed Lee called Thursday’s victim a loyal employee, saying: “I am so sorry that this accident occurred.”

Traffic signal planned

Lee, who had discussed pedestrian safety with members of the National Association of City Transportation Officials earlier in the day, said the Municipal Transportation Agency is planning to install a traffic signal at the crosswalk.

“We just agreed with (MTA director) Ed Reiskin about three months ago that we’d put in a traffic light at that intersection because people have so many reasons for coming into City Hall,” Lee said. “We wanted to lessen the chances of colliding here, but it didn’t happen fast enough. It was probably only a couple months away.”

Paul Rose, an MTA spokesman, said plans for the crosswalk — part of a larger Civic Center improvement project — need to be approved by the agency’s board. The lights could go on as soon as the middle of 2015, he said.

Heather Knight, Evan Sernoffsky and John Coté are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: hknight@sfchronicle.com, esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com, jcote@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf, @EvanSernoffsky, @JohnWCote