Hit-and-Run Driver Strikes Grandma, Grandson in San Jose Crosswalk

Two pedestrians, a 68-year-old grandmother and her 3-year-old grandchild, were struck by a hit-and-run driver in San Jose Tuesday evening, according to police.

The collision happened at about 5:40 p.m. in the area of Sierra Road and Mauna Kea Lane, police said.

Police said the victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and initially refused medical transport, but the grandmother was later admitted to the hospital.

The child's mother, who asked not to be identified, said her son has a bump on his head but should be OK. The grandmother broke her shoulder and several ribs.

The boy's mother said her mother-in-law was so focused on the boy's injury that nobody realized how badly she was hurt until she went to the hospital.

"After she went to the emergency room, we called for a wheelchair and then she just collapsed," the boy's mother said. "She was so tough and strong. She wasn’t even thinking about herself. She was only thinking about her grandchild."

The driver was traveling west on Sierra Road "at a high rate of speed" when they struck the grandmother as she was pushing the toddler in a stroller in a marked crosswalk, police said.

Surveillance footage showed the driver clip the grandmother, knocking her and the child to the ground.

"She thought there was enough time for the car to stop," the child's mother said.

Police described the suspect vehicle as a dark gray four-door hatchback, similar to a 2012 Mazda 3. It may have damage to the front driver's side.

Resident Yong Qin's camera captured the hit-and-run. She said the intersection where it happened is dangerous, even with it having an illuminated crosswalk.

"Even myself, every morning I send kids to the school and sometimes I want to try and go across the street, but sometimes cars don’t slow down," she said. "They even go faster."

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is asked to contact the police department at 408-277-4654.