The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the accident happened early Tuesday morning on Memorial Drive at the West Mountain Street intersection. DeKalb County Police Spokesperson Mekka Parish said that Clinton Hightower, 27, was attempting to cross at the intersection when he was struck by a police patrol car.
Hightower was killed in the accident. He died at the scene.
Officials said that Hightower was not in a crosswalk at the time of the accident.
A witness on the scene said that the police cruiser’s lights and siren were off when the accident happened. The cruiser’s driver, Officer Jason Copper, was en route to a homicide investigation at the Starlight Six Drive-In.
Parish said that the incident is being investigated. Investigators are working to determine the speed of the patrol car as well as whether the lights and siren were indeed off at the time of the accident.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2010 Georgia Crash Statistics, there were 1,244 fatalities as a result of car accidents in Georgia.
As a service to the residents of Atlanta and surrounding areas, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in Georgia that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.
Common accidents include, but are not limited to:
- single-car accidents;
- accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
- accidents caused by aggressive driving or distracted drivers.
If you have been named in this blog or you are the victim's family member or friend and would like the blog removed from our website, please feel free to contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.