Pedestrian's Death in Canal Car Accident Spurs Safety Questions

San Rafael police are investigating a car accident where an 84-year-old man was killed when crossing the street in the Canal neighborhood on Saturday evening, according to Sgt. Christopher Coale.

Julio Villalobos died at Marin General Hospital due to a severe head injury on Sunday after he was struck by a van on the corner of Canal Street and Medway Road. The collision occurred on Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m. two blocks from his home.

“There hasn’t been a determination of fault,” Coale said. The 32-year-old driver was cooperative at the scene of the accident and was released without being cited. Neither Villalobos or the driver were intoxicated at the time of the accident, according to Coale.

More details about the collision have not been released because police are still investigating the incident, Coale said.

Villalobos’s son, Julio Villalobos II, and over 30 people gathered at the intersection on Tuesday with signs warning drivers and pedestrians to careful when crossing, the Marin Independent Journal reports.

The victim’s son is asking city officials to to install stoplights, speed bumps or other safety features at the intersection. Coale did not have the statistics of accidents at that location.

Villalobos was a native of Huancayo, Peru, and immigrated to the United States 14 years ago and became a citizen.  His seven children all live in Novato and San Rafael, according to the Marin IJ.