Brother of Bicyclist Killed in 2012 Hit-And-Run Says the Death Left Him in 'Overwhelming Grief'

BY AUTUMN JOHNSON

More than 19 months after bicyclist Bo Hu was killed in the intersection of Dougherty Road and Fall Creek Road, the San Ramon lawyer charged with felony hit-and-run and a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter in connection with Hu's death will be in court in Hayward for a pretrial appearance.

Hu, 57, was a Chinese national visiting the United States when he was killed in Dublin around 11:30 p.m. on May 15, 2012. The driver who hit Hu left the scene of the collision without stopping.

[Related article: Lawyer Charged in Fatal Hit-And-Run that Killed Bicyclist…]

For the first time since the Bo Hu's death, his brother, Lie Hu, speaks about the loss.

Hu, who lives in China wrote, via email:

“My brother's death, at 58 years old, is a huge loss to my family. He was my only alive full blood relative. [His death] left me in an overwhelming  grief...My brother was also a much beloved family member among families... because of his caring, easy going, informative and fun-making personality. In all family-gathering activities, he was the center of conversations, telling jokes and activities. I couldn't say enough how much we [lost] at the moment he was hit and lied on a road in a remote county of the States.”

Spencer Freeman Smith was arrested by Dublin Police investigators three days following the collision, after officers searched his San Ramon home and found a black Mercedes with damage to the windshield and front end. The car was missing the same parts that were found at the scene of the crash, Dublin police said. The crash took place about three miles from Smith's home in San Ramon.

In a previous Patch article, William Gagen, Smith's attorney told Patch that his client knew he "hit something" but not whether it was a person.

"The question is did he [Smith] realize he hit a human being," William Gagen said. "He realized he hit something because there was a huge hole in the windshield. He called his insurance company the next day and left it parked in the garage."

Gagen confirmed that Smith did not call Dublin Police to report the collision. Smith is free on $60,000 bond, according to court records. He practices law in San Francisco at the Law Offices of Patten and Smith.

Previous Patch articles about the fatal hit-and-run collision on Dougherty Road:

• Attorney Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run Collision Due in Court

• Attorney Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run Collision Due in Court