San Jose man dies after vehicle reverses into him

A 79-year-old man died Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, after being hit on the 500 block of McLaughlin Avenue in San Jose on Thursday, Nov. 21. 2019.

SAN JOSE – A 79-year-old man died over the weekend of injuries he suffered Thursday when a vehicle “unintentionally” reversed into him in San Jose, authorities said.

The accident was reported about 8:20 a.m. on the 500 block of McLaughlin Avenue, near East William Court, said San Jose police Sgt. Enrique Garcia.

Garcia said a preliminary investigation revealed the adult female driver had shifted her vehicle into reverse while waiting to turn onto McLaughlin Avenue from a residential driveway.

“The adult male pedestrian walked behind the vehicle when the driver accelerated to enter the street, but unintentionally went in reverse and struck the victim,” Garcia said.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, said Garcia, adding that neither alcohol nor drugs appear to be factors in the collision.

The man was rushed to a hospital, where he died Saturday, Garcia said. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office identified him as Thanh Vu of San Jose.

Vu’s death marked San Jose’s 50th traffic fatality of 2019. He is the sixth pedestrian to be hit and killed by a vehicle this month and the fourth between Nov. 17 and Monday.

The city has recorded two additional traffic fatalities since Thursday. The first was reported about 6:30 p.m. Sunday when a car hit a man walking across Almaden Expressway, near Canoas Garden Avenue. The second was reported shortly before 1 a.m. Monday when a car hit a man walking across Quimby Road, near South White Road.

Anyone with information about the most recent traffic fatality can contact Detective Troy Sirmons at 408-277-4654.

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