Elderly Man Eats Once a Day After SF City Truck Killed His Working Wife

May 26, 2021

A 73-year-old Asian man is barely scraping by after a San Francisco city truck hit and killed his wife earlier this year.

What happened: Rui Xia Zhen, 67, the sole earner in the family, succumbed to her injuries from the Tenderloin incident on March 1.

Zhen was on her way to care for another elderly person — a job she had for a decade — when the unfortunate happened at around 7:25 a.m.
Surveillance footage shows a Department of Public Works (DPW) pickup truck struck her as she crossed Geary Street after coming out of the local Walgreens.
The 67-year-old sustained life-threatening injuries and was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, where she died later, according to SF Weekly.

Left behind: Huang Zheng Fang, Zhen’s husband of 41 years, has been struggling since the tragic incident.

The couple married in 1978 and immigrated to San Francisco in 2004.
The 73-year-old lives on $434 monthly retirement checks and has been eating just a bowl of oatmeal in the morning — and maybe some rice in the afternoon.
“We had a very nice family. Now it’s breaking apart. That’s the thing,” Fang told Mission Local. “And I am in my 70s. I don’t know my future.”

The city’s response: San Francisco is reportedly willing to assume liability for purposes of settlement but has not agreed to admit in trial.

A forensic economics report by Robert W. Johnson and Associates estimates Zhen’s lost income at $1.65 million, if Fang lives to age 85.
Joseph Breall told Mission Local that he began his settlement request at $6 million, which then went down to $2 million, while the city has gone as high as $950,000.
City Attorney spokesman John Coté said “productive discussions” are being held and they are hopeful “an appropriate resolution can be reached.”

Fang awaits trial next summer. For now, he is home with his son Ray, who quit his job in New Jersey to support his father at this time.

Featured Image via Huang Zheng Fang

Share this Article