Relative of fatal hit-and-run urges Encinitas commission to seek safety upgrades on Highway 101

Nicole Franco, speaking during public comment at the Encinitas Public Health and Safety Commission meeting, asked the commission to pursue safety measures along Highway 101 following a January hit-and-run that killed Emily Hernandez.

"It's our hope that this commission will have the power to enact safety measures along Highway 101 to prevent additional fatalities of pedestrians crossing the street," Franco said. She said Hernandez was struck on the stretch of Highway 101 north of Leucadia Boulevard around 7 p.m. after tripping and falling into the roadway. Franco described the location as lacking street lights and marked crosswalks and said a speeding SUV fled the scene.

Franco asked the commission to consider installing proper street lighting, crosswalks with activated lighting, enforced speed limits, camera-based enforcement to identify hit-and-run vehicles, and a marker in Hernandez's memory. She identified Hernandez as a mother of three who worked in fundraising at Scripps Hospital and formerly at UC San Diego.

Commissioners received the comments as part of the meeting's public-comment period; there was no formal commission motion or directive recorded in response to Franco's request during this meeting.

Speakers and organizations that also addressed the commission during public comment raised related community-safety topics, including youth substance-use prevention and neighborhood fire-safety concerns, which were considered in the commission's broader 2025 work-plan discussion.