Richmond man dies in Bay Bridge accident

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Aug 24, 2008 | by BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

A 35-year-old Richmond man has been identified as the fatality in a Bay Bridge accident early Saturday morning.

The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office identified him as David Catlett.

Catlett was speeding eastbound in a 1994 Honda Civic just after midnight Saturday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. He was using all lanes to pass slower traffic when he made a series of unsafe turning movements that caused him to lose control. Catlett hit a call box and then a concrete pillar on the south side of the highway. His car deflected back to his left and went directly into the path of an eastbound 1998 Dodge Dakota driven by a 31-year- old Daly City man, according to the CHP.

The front of the pickup truck hit the driver's side of the Honda, and the two vehicles ended up blocking three lanes just west of Treasure Island for about three hours.

Catlett was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP. The Dodge driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to the CHP. He was not hurt, while a 27-year-old San Francisco woman in his vehicle had a complaint of pain. All three were wearing seatbelts.

-- Eric Louie