Tuesday, December 16, 2025

15 INJURED AFTER SAN FRANSISCO CABLE CAR ABRUPTLY STOPS

PEOPLE

 

15 Injured After San Francisco Cable Car Abruptly Stops: ‘Everyone Just Flew in the Air and Started Screaming’

By Gabrielle Rockson  Published on December 16, 2025 07:51AM EST

 

Fifteen people have been left injured after a cable car suddenly stopped in San Francisco.

 

On Monday, Dec. 15, the San Francisco Fire Department announced in a post on Facebook that they responded to a "cable car incident" at around 3:09 p.m. at the 1300 block of California Street between Leavenworth and Hyde.

 

“Initial report was that the cable car made an abrupt stop causing its passengers to be tossed around inside the cable car,” officials said.

 

“When units arrived onscene, they found numerous patients in need of care and a yellow alert was declared, a yellow alert notified our hospital partners and medical units of the potential for a large number of victims," the post added.

 

A total of fifteen people were evaluated by first responders with two immediately being transported to hospital with “minor visual trauma.”

 

“Ten were complaining of bumps and bruising and three patients declined transport altogether,” the post continued. “Utilizing nine transport ambulances, patients were transported to San Francisco General Hospital, California Pacific Vaness, Saint Francis, Saint Mary’s and Kaiser.”

 

San Francisco Municipal Railway and the San Francisco Police Department Accident Unit are investigating the cause of the incident.

 

Speaking to local media outlet The San Francisco Chronicle, one passenger recalled how the cable came to a halt while moving upwards.

 

“We were just on our way uphill and then it genuinely just like stopped really hard,”  Willa Meade, 20, of San Francisco told the outlet. “It just stopped in its tracks like super fast.”

 

Meade added that “everyone just flew in the air and started screaming.”

 

One of the injured was a man who was “bleeding from his neck and head and shouting for help,” according to Meade.

 

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency also shared a post on X following the incident.

 

“Safety for our passengers on all Muni vehicles continues to be our top priority. We'll be conducting a full review of incident details to ensure continued safety on the cable cars,” they said.

 

The agency added, “Bus substitutions will serve the route for the rest of the day along with the 1 California line. For service updates, please monitor real-time alerts @SFMTA_Muni.”

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