Driver sought in hit-and-run that killed woman in East Oakland

OAKLAND – A woman died following a hit-and-run collision Monday night along a main thoroughfare in East Oakland, police said Tuesday.

Officers responded at 9:49 p.m. to the collision along Hegenberger Road near Hamilton Street. Officers located a person who was critically injured, according to police. She was on the center median south of the intersection, police said.

Paramedics tried to save the woman’s life, but she died there, according to police.

A preliminary police investigation shows that the woman was crossing Hegenberger Road outside of a crosswalk when a vehicle traveling south on Hegenberger hit her.

A new law in California will eliminate jaywalking as a crime starting next year. People will be able to cross the road outside of a crosswalk if a collision isn’t imminent.

The group Traffic Violence Rapid Response Team, which aims to prevent more traffic deaths and injuries in Oakland, said in a tweet Tuesday, “Hegenberger is as much of a scar as 980 and deserves just as much attention.”

The tweet added that Hegenberger Road splits neighborhoods and cuts people off from BART and Amtrak.

“We know how to build pleasant, safe, and accessible roads, let’s start before more people die,” the tweet said.

The driver of the vehicle left the area after the collision and officers were unable to identify that person, police said. 

Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said recently traffic violence in Oakland has increased.

Anyone with information about the collision may call the Police Department’s traffic investigation unit at (510) 777-8570.