The Highway Patrol continues to investigate a fatal accident on Dec. 1 in that killed a beloved Atascadero animal welfare volunteer.
According to CHP Lt. Darren Gennuso, at 10:20 a.m. Monday, Dec. 1, officers responded to a reported vehicle vs. pedestrian that happened in a crosswalk on the onramp to Southbound Hwy 101 at San Anselmo Rd. Arriving officers determined that a 2017 Ford F-150 pickup driven by Gary Tipton, 66 of Atascadero had turned left onto the highway on ramp and struck Rachel Hoffman, 69 of Atascadero.
“Lifesaving measures were attempted,” Lt. Gennuso said, “however, to no avail. Ms. Hoffman was pronounced deceased at the scene. There were no other occupants in the truck at the time of the accident.”
Lt. Gennuso added that “alcohol and/or drugs were not suspected to have been a factor in this crash.” He said the case is under investigation by the CHP’s Templeton Office.
Subsequent news reports profiled Hoffman as a local animal welfare activist and volunteer who was the store manager at Meade Canine Resale Shop, a pet store in Atascadero that raises money to help low-income people spay and neuter their pets, according to a post on KSBY’s Facebook Page.
She was reportedly walking to work when she was struck and died.
Karen Aviko, a long-time friend of Hoffman’s who worked with her on animal rescue, told KSBY, “She was just a force to be reckoned with. She never took ‘No;’ she never saw any task as impossible, and everything was for the animals.”
A native of Atascadero, Hoffman reportedly was beloved in the community, working tirelessly on an issue — animal welfare — that can be exhausting.
“She was the most selfless person I ever met,” Aviko said, “and she inspired a lot of other people to be like her. I will miss her encouragement when I think I can’t do this anymore.”
