Our East Bay community has recently experienced multiple losses in tragic fashion. As of November 6th, there have been 5 fatal car accidents within the span of the last three months in Hayward, California, with two of them being labeled as hit-and-run accidents. These previous tragedies sum the city’s  total fatal collisions to 10 for the year, according to city-data.com Hayward has yet to bear double digit fatal collisions in the past 5 years.

On November 5th at roughly 2:14 a.m., officers were dispatched to the scene of a single vehicle incident near the intersection of Winton Avenue and Magna Avenue. According to reports, when the officers arrived on the scene, they determined that the car had collided with a tree after failing to make the bend from southbound D Street to westbound Winton Avenue. 

The vehicle consisted of two occupants; the driver being a 46-year-old Oakland resident man, who was immediately transported to a local hospital where he has been considered to be in stable condition. The passenger was a 37-year-old Richmond resident woman, she was unfortunately pronounced dead on the scene by first responders.  

At this time, the identities of the driver and passenger are being suppressed awaiting notification to next of kin and formal identification processes by the Alameda County Coroner’s Office. This is a continuing inquiry, and more information will be given as it becomes available. If you have any information about this accident, please call the Traffic Bureau at (510)293-7066.  

Around 1:00 a.m. on October 12th, one person was also killed in a collision which involved many vehicles. The accident occurred on Highway 880 and included a total of 6 different vehicles, according to California Highway Patrol. CHP also stated, the lanes that were impacted on I-880 were hindered and a traffic alert was given. At around 3:25 a.m., all paths were cleared and traffic resumed.

Shortly before the previous collison another deadly accident transpired on Monday October 9th on Industrial Boulevard, this accident contained one tragic death and injured children. Around 8:53 p.m. a sedan and a pickup truck collided at the intersection of Industrial and Hesperian Boulevard.

According to reports, the pickup truck was driven by a 46-year-old Modesto resident male; Hayward Police stated, “The man was cooperative and did not sustain injuries related to the collision.” The sedan was carrying a family of four, a 39-year-old Hayward native woman tragically endured fatal injuries, she was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The children involved in the accident were two young girls, ages 3 and 9, the children sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to a local hospital. The driver of the sedan was a 36-year-old male, he did not endure any reported injuries. 

On the Sunday morning of September 17th Hayward Police responded to a hit-and-run collision involving three vehicles and leaving one individual dead. The fatal accident occurred around 12:50 a.m. on the 27000 block of Huntwood Avenue. 

Two vehicles, two drivers, and one passenger remained at the scene upon the arrival of authorities, according to police. The driver of the first vehicle was unharmed, but the driver of the second vehicle was found unconscious and injured. When medical personnel arrived, they declared the man dead. His car’s passenger was unharmed. A report from the Hayward Police Department states, the driver of the third car fled before officers arrived. The car was later discovered abandoned near the crash site. 

Local authorities are looking for the driver of the third car involved in the fatal hit-and-run collision. If you have any information about this accident, please call the Traffic Bureau at (510)293-7066.  

On Wednesday, September 6, 2023, around 5:36 p.m., officers responded to a report of a hit and run collision involving a vehicle and a bicyclist at the intersection of Mission Boulevard and Orchard Avenue. Officers arrived on the scene and uncovered the bicyclist, he was unconscious and suffering from injuries sustained in the collision. The bicyclist was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The bicyclist is a 55-year-old Hayward man, named Chris Pena.

Pena was a beloved man, husband, father and friend. Following his passing he left behind a beautiful wife which he had been married to for 23 years, and three children, two of them being college students. “Chris was incredibly smart, friendly and genuine. He was known by all his neighbors and was loved by everyone! His family and friends are devastated from his senseless death,” wrote Chris’s friend Derrick Lobo.

The driver of the vehicle which struck Pena fled the scene at high speed prior to the arrival of officers. The driver is thought to have been the only occupant in the car at the time of the collision, and is still considered to be very much so at large. The suspect vehicle is described as a grey Mercedes-Benz E350, possibly an early to mid 2000s model. According to local authorities, as a result of the collision, the vehicle is likely to have noteworthy front-end passenger side damage.

These fatal accidents are a tragedy to all involved including family, friends, and loved ones to those involved. Hopefully this serves as a reminder to be safe and attentive on the road, if you have any information regarding the ongoing investigations of these collisions please call the Traffic Bureau at (510)293-7066; these efforts will ultimately protect our community.