United States

Family Remembers Father of 7 Who Died in Wrong-Way Crash in SF

Etimad and his family came to the Bay Area from Afghanistan after he received special permission for helping the United States military as a translator there

A grieving family remembered a father of seven who died in a wrong-way crash in San Francisco this weekend.

The wrong-way driver was identified late Sunday as 21-year-old Kayla Wilson of San Jose, and the other victim was identified as 40-year-old Waheed Etimad of Concord, according to the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office.

Etimad was a student at Diablo Valley College, a part-time Uber driver and a father of seven, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched to aid his family.

Etimad and his family came to the Bay Area from Afghanistan after he received special permission for helping the United States Military as a translator there.

All lanes of northbound Highway 101 reopened as of 10 a.m. Sunday after both drivers killed in a collision with three vehicles, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Nine other people were injured in the multiple collisions first reported at 2:33 a.m. as a wrong-way, hit-and-run collision with a vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lanes near Vermont Street striking two vehicles, according to CHP Officer Bert Diaz. The wrong-way vehicle is believed to have come from the Vermont Street off-ramp, Diaz said.

The wrong-way driver then struck another vehicle just south of Cesar Chavez Street, according to Diaz, resulting in one person being ejected from a vehicle.

Uber released a statement late Sunday, saying: "This was a horribly tragic incident and our hearts go out to the victim and his grieving family. We stand ready to work with authorities to assist their investigation in any way we can."

Diaz was unable to confirm if the victim that was ejected was riding in the wrong-way vehicle or the vehicle traveling in the northbound direction.

All lanes of the northbound U.S. Highway 101 freeway were blocked for more than seven hours.

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