SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A UC Davis first-year psychiatry resident physician killed in an accident while riding an electric scooter is being remembered for her joyful spirit and passion for psychiatry.
Geohaira (Geo) Sosa, 32, died in a crash on Alhambra Boulevard in East Sacramento.
The director of her residency program, Belinda Bandstra, says Geo brought out the best in people and wanted to help underserved communities with mental health. She was saddened and in disbelief after hearing of her death.
"It was devastating, it was unthinkable," Bandstra said. "We're still a little bit in shock to be completely honest."
Geo was two months into her residency. She recently moved from the East Coast to California for the program.
"She was so passionate about seeing everybody and being authentic with everybody," Bandstra said. "Her patients loved her and I'm not at all surprised. Her supervisors loved working with her, they loved teaching her, her colleagues loved collaborating with her. She was a phenomenal doctor."
Bandstra recruited Geo into the residency program. She says Geo had a long-term goal of uplifting underserved communities through her work.
"She just fostered connection with people and so I think those are the things that we remember her by," she said.
Sadly, Sosa wasn't the only life lost on the road over the last week as another deadly accident involving an e-scooter happened Wednesday night.
Kaylee Xiong, 18, was hit and killed while riding an e-scooter near Franklin and Cosumnes River Boulevard.
Sacramento police hope the community can help prevent more tragedies like these from happening in the future. They are encouraging both drivers and pedestrians to be mindful of what's around you.
"Motorists, you are driving around thousand pound vehicles and you're sharing a roadway, literally sharing a roadway with scooters who might just have a helmet or nothing at all," said Allison Smith, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Police Department.
The risk of death for pedestrians and scooter riders increases as the speed of drivers increases. The average risk of death for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle is 10% at an impact speed of 23 mph. It jumps to 50% at 42 mph, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
The Sacramento Police Department is reminding drivers and scooter riders to limit their speed and do what you can to remain visible.
The drivers involved in both crashes are cooperating with police.
The UC Davis Department of Psychiatry organized a GoFundMe to help support Geo's family.
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