A lawn worker is in the hospital and an Augusta driver is facing felony charges after a car jumped the curb on Lumpkin Road and kept going, according to Richmond County deputies. The man was taken to Wellstar MCG Health with serious injuries, and investigators later tracked down the vehicle and a suspect. The sheriff's office says the investigation is still active.
Deputies say they were called Tuesday to Lumpkin Road near Jennifer Court after a vehicle left the roadway and hit a man who was doing yard work, then left the scene, according to WRDW. First responders rushed the victim to a nearby hospital, a detail later confirmed by WFXG, which reported he suffered serious injuries.
How Deputies Tracked the Vehicle
Investigators used Flock camera technology to follow the trail of the suspected hit-and-run car, the Richmond County Sheriff's Office told WFXG. After chasing down leads from the camera alerts, deputies located the vehicle and arrested a driver identified as Francisco Berry. Authorities say the car left the roadway before striking the man, and investigators are still sorting out the full sequence of events.
Charges And Legal Stakes
Berry was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury and serious injury by vehicle, according to the sheriff's office. Under Georgia law, knowingly leaving the scene of a crash that causes serious injury is a felony. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-270 spells out drivers' duties after a wreck and the penalties for hit-and-run cases, as outlined by Justia.
Local Context
Lumpkin Road has seen its share of serious crashes and hit-and-runs in recent years, prompting repeated traffic investigations and neighborhood worries in Richmond County, according to earlier reporting by WRDW. Residents and safety advocates have pushed for better lighting and stronger enforcement along stretches of the busy corridor.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Richmond County Sheriff's Office tip line at (706) 821-1080 or the nonemergency line at (706) 821-1000, according to the City of Augusta. Deputies say they are especially interested in any video footage or eyewitness accounts that could help fill in the gaps of what happened.
