Pedestrian Crossing Roswell Road Injured

Irma Morales-Perez was injured while trying to cross Roswell Road in  Sandy Springs, Fulton County , Georgia.  She was struck at approximately 7 a.m. near the intersection of Roswell Road and Long Island Drive.  Ms. Morales-Perez was crossing about 300 yards from the closest crosswalk when she was hit by an SUV driving in the center turn lane.  She was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta with severe head injuries.  The driver of the SUV was cited for driving without a license and transported to Doraville's city jail.  Georgia law requires drivers to stop and allow pedestrians to cross the roadway within a crosswalk.  Georgia law also prohibits pedestrians from entering the path of a vehicle which is too close to yield to them.  Following these rules will lead to safer pedestrian crossings  and fewer injuries.  Pedestrians should use established crosswalks whenever possible . While a pedestrian has a duty to cross at the cross walk that duty might be lessened by the distance from the pedestrian must walk merely to cross the street. That particular stretch of Roswell Road has very many such pedestrian crossings so there are issues of custom and use.  The SUV driver may have had knowledge of the many pedestrian crossings there on Roswell Road. Roswell road is a major road in the metro Atlanta area and it would be difficult for insurance companies to claim that the SUV driver could not see pedestrian due to the fact that she made it all the way to the middle lane of the large road. A driver is required to see obvious objects in front of him.  Additionally, the SUV driver may have been using the center lane improperly as it may only be entered immediately prior to leaving the roadway and it is not permitted to use the center lane for travel or as an entrance ramp. 

Labels: