A private chef and her investment banker husband are urgently calling for safety upgrades at a dangerous San Francisco intersection after their two-year-old son and his nanny were struck by a pickup truck while walking to the park. The couple stated that their toddler narrowly avoided catastrophic injuries when the stroller he was riding in was sent flying and flipped upside down during the April 16 crash at Chestnut and Laguna streets in the city's upscale Marina District.
The Incident
In a GoFundMe campaign created after the ordeal, mother and private chef Lindsay Kinder wrote that the stroller was "flipped upside down and totaled - the back wheels blown off." The family's nanny, Mily, was thrown roughly a car length by the force of the impact. The boy escaped with relatively minor injuries because he was securely strapped in, but Mily continues to suffer from pain, medical appointments, and nightmares. "We truly believe her quick instincts helped protect him that morning," Kinder wrote in the fundraiser. The family believes the nanny's split-second reaction saved their son's life.
Campaign for Change
Now the shaken parents are channeling their fear into a campaign to transform the intersection, which sits steps from Moscone Park and is surrounded by parks, preschools, strollers, and families. The online fundraiser is raising money to help Mily cover medical expenses and lost income while concerns over insurance and liability are addressed. Kinder described Mily as a devoted caregiver who "has cared for our son with incredible love, attentiveness, and dedication."
Petition for Safety Measures
At the same time, neighbors and staff at Hungry Caterpillars Preschool have started a Change.org petition calling on city leaders to install raised crosswalks, flashing pedestrian beacons, and other traffic-calming measures. The petition argues that the intersection has become a hazard for the many families who pass through it on their way to the park, school, and the library.
Witness Account
Witnesses estimated the pickup truck was traveling between 20 and 25 mph when it struck Mily and the stroller in the marked crosswalk. The collision unfolded in front of preschool teachers walking a rope tow of children in neon safety vests. Bystander Gladys Sandoval, who recorded the aftermath, said in a Facebook post that she was preparing to make a left turn when preschool teachers began escorting a group of children across the street. "Suddenly you hear the sound and screams," she wrote. "It was very shocking to see how that truck lifted the poor woman into the air." Sandoval said she thanked God that the toddler riding in the stroller escaped serious injury and said she believed she narrowly avoided being hit herself.
City Response
The corner is part of San Francisco's High Injury Network, a designation reserved for streets that account for a disproportionate share of severe and fatal crashes. District Supervisor Stephen Sherrill told KTVU that two serious crashes have occurred there since 2021 and warned that traffic enforcement has dropped sharply. "Traffic tickets are down 90 percent from their high," Sherrill told the outlet. "Drivers know that if they run a stop sign, they won't get ticketed, and that's wrong." The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has pledged to add playground warning signs and improve visibility by removing parking spaces near the corner, a process known as daylighting, according to a statement obtained by KTVU. But Kinder said signs alone are not enough and wants physical infrastructure that forces drivers to slow down. "Red lights and stop signs unfortunately do not always force cars to stop," Kinder wrote in the fundraiser.
The San Francisco Police Department is still investigating the crash and has not announced whether the driver will receive any citations. The Daily Mail has reached out to Kinder, the San Francisco Police Department, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for comment.
