Wallace Loggins, Muni Driver Accused of Killing Emily Dunn, to Appear in Court
Categories: Crime, Public Transit
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| Emily Dunn |
Loggins, 36, was charged with vehicular manslaughter after he hit and killed Dunn as she legally crossed the intersection of 18th and Hartford streets last summer. Dunn, an Atlanta native, had just moved to San Francisco to start a new life.
Loggins pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys argue that Muni is to blame for putting an inexperienced driver on a new route. However, prosecutors claim Loggins, who didn't even know he had hit Dunn until he heard a bystander scream, was totally negligent.
"The District Attorney's Office does not relish having to prosecute people for these incidents," said District Attorney George Gascón. "All of these tragic incidents could have been avoided, and we can do better as a city to avoid these tragic consequences."
Loggins, who had started working for Muni eight months prior to the Aug. 18 accident, was instructed by operators to take his bus out of service and bring it to supplement the F line, which runs from the Castro to the Embarcadero. However, the control center did not give Loggins directions or a specific route from the Financial District to the Castro for his new assignment.
Loggins was turning onto 18th Street when he allegedly hit Dunn, who was 90 percent across the intersection.
Even Muni officials acknowledge this lack of communication was a clear violation of Muni rules.
Loggins' attorney, Stuart Hanlon, told reporters last month that Dunn had also not been paying attention before the accident; apparently she had her head down and was texting while crossing the street, he said.
"It's an awful accident," he told CBS. "I have no idea why they're prosecuting this."
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