The streets of Atlanta turned into corridors of tragedy and delays this week following a series of incidents involving pedestrians and vehicles. In the early hours of Wednesday, a 32-year-old man lost his life after being struck by not one, but two vehicles on the Downtown Connector. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the man was hit by a Ford Explorer while walking in the southbound HOV lane and subsequently pushed over the median to the opposite HOV lane, where a motorbus struck him.
Plagued by limited sighting conditions due to fog, Thursday morning saw two more pedestrians fall victim to the perils of walking in Atlanta. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the first incident occurred near North Highland Avenue NE and Ponce de Leon Avenue NE, leaving a pedestrian with a leg injury treated on the scene. Only a half-hour later, another pedestrian was hit near Memorial Drive and Hambrick Road, with their condition unknown at the time of reporting.
The consecutive misfortunes on the road prompted meteorologist Eboni Deon to urge morning commuters to "take it easy." She was quoted saying, "It can be clear where you’re starting off, and then those visibilities could drop quickly, so be mindful of that." The heavy fog had, according to her, brought visibility down to about a half-mile in some areas.
Adding to the vehicular chaos, a separate collision on the northbound Connector impeded traffic around 7 a.m., catching one of Atlanta's police officers in its snare. The officer, involved in a crash with a Nissan Altima after the interstate splits, walked away from the scene uninjured. The driver of the Altima was injured but was not shared by police. The wreckage was eventually cleared by 9 a.m, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
