‘Not a True Match for the Tragedy’ Family Outraged as Driver, 80, Avoids Prison After Bus Stop Crash Kills Family of Four

An 80-year-old woman who crashed into a family of four at a bus stop and killed them will not face any jail or prison time, according to San Francisco Superior Court Judge Bruce Chan.

​On March 20, Mary Fong Lau was sentenced to two years of probation, and her driver’s license was suspended for three years. The victims’ family and friends reportedly expressed their disappointment with the sentence after the controversial hearing.

Lau was speeding and weaving into oncoming traffic when her Mercedes SUV plowed into a bus stop at Muni Metro West Portal Station on March 16, 2024, per CW affiliate KRON.

​Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, 40, his wife Matilde Pinto, 38, their 1-year-old son, Joaquin, and their 2-month-old infant, Caue, were waiting for the bus to take them to the San Francisco Zoo. All of them died when Lau crashed into them, investigators said.

​ Cardoso de Oliveira and Pinto were celebrating their anniversary on the day of the accident. “I want to say to all the family, sorry. Sorry,” Lau allegedly said during the hearing.

Chan said Lau’s advanced age, expressions of remorse, and lack of a criminal record contributed to his decision for a lighter sentence.

​Chan allegedly refused to follow recommendations from the adult probation department, which would have required home confinement for one year.

​Earlier this year, Lau pleaded “no contest” to felony vehicular manslaughter and avoided standing trial. Due to Lau’s plea, the judge said she did not have to spend another night in jail, KRON reported.

​Friends and family members of the victims said Lau was driving over 70 mph in a residential neighborhood and did not take any accountability for her actions.

​They said the San Francisco Police Department did not find any mechanical issues with the SUV that could have caused the crash. “Diego and his family were simply going to the zoo on a Sunday morning, celebrating their anniversary,” his sister said.

​Pinto’s brother said she was denied the right to continue being a mother. “It was something she had looked forward to all her life,” he said. He added that “a part of us all died” the day his sister died. “I would like to see this person tried and suffer, be held accountable and responsible for her actions,” he said, per ABC affiliate KGO.

​“The consequences … for her actions are not a true match for the size of the tragedy,” Cardoso de Olivera’s sister, Denise Olivera, told KRON4.

Family members also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lau, which is being litigated in civil court. Attorney Jim Quadra is representing them in the case.

​Lau is also being accused of concealing her assets to prevent the family members from being included in any possible settlement or adverse judgment, Fox affiliate KTVU reported.