Mary Fong Lau Pleads No Contest After West Portal Crash Kills Family

Mary Fong Lau pleaded no contest to four felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter on Feb. 14, 2026, in the case stemming from a March 2024 crash in West Portal that killed a family of four who were waiting at a Muni bus stop. The victims - Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, 40; his wife Matilde Moncada Ramos Pinto, 38; their 1-year-old son Joaquim; and their 3-month-old son Cauê - had been waiting to take a bus to the San Francisco Zoo when the collision occurred.

Prosecutors have said speed and gross negligence were factors in the crash, and have estimated the vehicle was traveling at high rates of speed. One assertion by prosecutors put the speed at over 70 mph, while other reports estimated 60 to 70 miles per hour. The vehicle involved was a 2014 Mercedes-Benz SUV. The San Francisco District Attorney filed the felony charges in July 2024; Lau initially pleaded not guilty before changing her plea to no contest this month. Assistant District Attorney Samantha Persaud objected to the no-contest plea.

Presiding Judge Bruce Chan described the tragedy in court as he considered disposition and sentencing, saying, "The loss of life is incomprehensible." The judge indicated he would likely impose 2-3 years of probation and prohibit Lau from driving, citing Lau's age, lack of prior criminal history, and expressed remorse. Victims' family members had urged tougher restrictions, asking for home detention and community service, but the judge signaled he would not impose those conditions.

Family attorneys and relatives voiced frustration at the criminal outcome and at parallel civil litigation. Luis Ramos Pinto, brother of the slain mother, said, "It wasn't just my sister and her family that died. Part of us all died." Civil counsel Jim Quadra criticized any reduction in criminal accountability, saying a reduction "would look to us and appear to, I think, most people would be looking at this as a basic slap on the wrist for having taken four lives." Quadra also said of alleged asset transfers, "They have admitted to transferring the property and have now returned some of them. There are still some that have not been returned."

The family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit and an amended claim in civil court alleging that Lau or related parties transferred real estate into limited liability companies and out of a trust to shield assets. Defense filings described some transfers as "ill-advised" and framed litigation concerns about constitutional protections. The civil case is effectively on pause pending the criminal matter and related procedural actions.

A witness at the scene reportedly overheard Lau admit to mistaking the gas pedal for the brake, a claim that has been described as unconfirmed. In the wake of the crash, city and transit agencies completed safety improvements at the West Portal intersection and station, measures that remain part of the neighborhood's response to the tragedy.

What comes next for San Francisco residents is the closing of the criminal file and ongoing civil efforts to secure restitution or recover assets for the victims' family, along with continued local conversations about street safety where families wait for Muni and cross busy corridors near neighborhood stations.