Deadly Bus Crash Makes UCSF Add Seatbelts

Buckling up will now be an option on all University of California-San Francisco shuttle buses, following last week's fatal crash in which a doctor -- who had no seat belt -- riding in a UCSF shuttle died in a collision with a big rig on Octavia Boulevard.

The seatbelts that will be installed on all shuttles may have saved the life of 52-year old Dr. Kevin Mack, according to the San Francisco Appeal online newspaper. Mack died at 6:20 a.m. last Thursday in the crash, which injured three others.

UCSF's shuttle fleet will enjoy seat belts by August, according to the newspaper.

It's unfortunate that a fatality had to happen before the shuttles received belts, according to Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who represents the area where the crash happened. The intersection, at Octavia Boulevard and Oak Street, is heavily-trafficked.

"It's sad that it's in light of a tragedy, but it lets us know that we're saving lives in the future," Mirkarimi said.

On Thursday, UCSF will host a memorial service for Mack at 5 p.m. in Cole Hall, located at 513 Parnassus Ave. on its Parnassus campus, the newspaper reported.

For people unable to attend, the school will simulcast the service to the San Francisco General Hospital cafeteria and to Room 150 at University of California at Berkeley's University Hall.