SAN LEANDRO — A 77-year woman has died from injuries suffered in January when she was struck by an 11-year-old bicyclist after leaving a Bayfair Center department store, authorities said.
San Leandro police Lt. Abe Teng said the death resulted from a “tragic accident” just before 5 p.m. on Jan. 3. Based on the police investigation, which has included a review of video surveillance and interviews with the bicyclist and others, Teng said there is no plan to seek criminal charges.
The collision was accidental, he added, saying that “there did not appear to be any malicious intent or any indication it was intentional.” Criminal charges would be additionally difficult to pursue against such a young child, he said.
The victim, Judy Dieter Eisenberg, grew up in San Lorenzo but had been living in Durham, North Carolina since 2018. She died Jan. 22 at a hospital where she had been since she was injured.
The coroner’s office said the cause of death was blunt head trauma.
According to police, Eisenberg had just left the Kohl’s department store and had stepped off a curb when three youths on bicycles rode up.
She let one boy — who was doing a wheelie — pass by, and after avoiding another rider, was hit by the third rider, police said. That child has since turned 12.
The impact knocked Eisenberg to the pavement, causing what turned out to be a fatal injury.
Teng said the youth that hit her tried to stop, including putting both feet to the pavement, before the collision. The boy was interviewed by police at the scene and was then allowed to leave.
Eisenberg’s relatives are still coming to grips with the death of the woman they called “the glue” of a tight-knit family. She was the second-oldest of 12 siblings and had grown up and lived in San Lorenzo before moving to Durham to be closer to her children. A widow for 11 years, she had worked as a legal secretary for her husband, attorney Mark Eisenberg, relatives said.
“She was just so full of life,” said her sister, Mary Lou Eggiman, who said Eisenberg was also a breast cancer survivor. “She was a great mom, grandmother, sister and friend. She was just so energetic, outgoing and vibrant and very active for her age, both socially and doing activities.
“She walked every day and when she got involved in something, she got involved. She read voraciously and was just very intelligent.”
Another sister, Cathy Tapia, said Eisenberg “was the glue that held our family together. She was really devoted to her entire family” and was “someone you could call for help on anything. She knew the history of our family and what the different relatives were doing.”
Eisenberg was back in the East Bay for her first visit in five years to see relatives and friends and to take part in a family holiday gathering the week before Christmas.
On the day she suffered her fatal injuries, she had borrowed Eggiman’s car to go to lunch with a friend and had stopped at Kohl’s afterward to purchase a blouse.
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Her sisters said they hope the boy who hit her is remorseful for what happened.
They also hope her death can be a learning point, especially for young bicyclists who need to know how to ride in a responsible manner.
“We just want to let all kids now what can happen when you’re riding your bike,” Tapia said. “Kids need to learn consequences.You have to be safe. Safety, safety, safety.”
“Follow the rules, follow the laws,” Eggiman added.
The opportunity to see their sister one last time before her death means a lot to her family and her friends, the sisters said.
“That is a blessing,” Eggiman said. “She got to touch base with everyone. We’re grateful.”
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