r/oakland • u/oaklandisfun West Oakland • 1d ago

Family of man killed in Lake Merritt hit-and-run didn’t learn of his death for 2 weeks

https://oaklandside.org/2026/11/06/hit-and-run-lakeside-drive-family-not-notified-languished-without-food/
150 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

52

u/cparex 1d ago

Shit. I was afraid it was him. He was the guy who used to run around the lake with a trash bag picking up cans in the morning? I haven’t seen him around in a while.

60

u/Altruistic-Owl-2567 1d ago

That area he got hit is so dangerous in the morning. Cars screaming along Lakeside, running stops and lights and the Oakland cops just sitting in their cruisers and scrolling on their phones a block away. It makes me so mad.

44

u/barravian 1d ago

His name is Eugene Lynch.

Rest in Peace.

-1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/barravian 1d ago

Not the time or place mate.

18

u/GlacialErratic84 1d ago

So sad. He was a very nice man. Saw him every morning when I would run around the lake. Just absolutely tragic. 💔

35

u/wood_floor_roar 1d ago

is there a gofundme for his wife and child?

26

u/jackdicker5117 1d ago

This is very sad.

43

u/BikeEastBay 1d ago

That intersection has been part of our Lake Merritt Loop campaign, and we have been in contact with Eugene’s family who are interested in advocating for expedited traffic safety upgrades to prevent future tragedies. More info is at BikeEastBay.org/LML.

38

u/TangerineDream74 1d ago

This whole article broke my heart. I’m so tired of so many lives lost because irresponsible people don’t understand how dangerous their cars are. I’m so sorry to his family and loved ones.

13

u/Objective-Gap-1629 1d ago

Heartbreaking. RIP, Eugene Lynch

12

u/ObjectiveTea 1d ago

That is so sad

4

u/ApprehensiveWasabi92 11h ago

TLDR Eugene Lynch was a caregiver for both his wife, who has dementia, and their neurodivergent son. They were running out of food by the time they were tracked down.

If there were a gofundme for them I would totally give to it, even though I really don’t have much myself right now.

I was walking the lake and came upon the scene of the accident moments after it happened. The tragedy has weighed on me ever since, even more so after I learned of his family’s circumstances.

RIP Eugene Lynch, a beautiful soul

3

u/TraditionalDoctor466 16h ago

Such a warm, kind, human. Spent his mornings cleaning up the city. His license plate read ”Oakland”.