A man was struck and killed by a vehicle Saturday while walking in the roadway on Moreland Avenue near Key Road in DeKalb County, according to police. Investigators say the man was not in a crosswalk when he was hit, and they've pointed to another factor that may have played a role: the area is poorly lit.
The crash was first reported by Atlanta News First, which cited DeKalb County police in confirming the location and the circumstances of the fatal collision. Police have not released the man's identity, and the investigation into exactly how the crash unfolded remains ongoing, according to the outlet's report. No further details on the vehicle involved or the driver have been made public.
A Corridor With a Troubled Recent History
This is not the first deadly pedestrian crash on Moreland Avenue this year. Just two months earlier, on June 1, a man in his 30s was struck and killed by two separate vehicles while walking in the right travel lane of Moreland Avenue near Conley Road, also in DeKalb County, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Police said both drivers in that earlier crash stayed at the scene.
The stretch of roadway, officially known as State Route 42, has long carried a grim reputation. Moreland Avenue consistently ranks among the corridors on Atlanta's High-Injury Network, a designation for the small share of city streets that account for the vast majority of severe and fatal crashes, according to transportation safety group Propel ATL. The group has repeatedly called for a systemic redesign of the corridor.
Key Road Intersection's Long Record of Hazards
The specific intersection where Saturday's crash happened has its own troubled past. In 2018, an auto repair shop at the corner of Moreland Avenue and Key Road reported being struck by vehicles more than half a dozen times, including one incident in which a driver crashed through concrete barriers into the shop amid reported street racing, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Shop owners at the time cited confusion over whether Atlanta or DeKalb police had jurisdiction over the corridor.
That jurisdictional split remains part of the corridor's larger safety puzzle. Moreland Avenue runs through both DeKalb County and the City of Atlanta, and while it functions as a major arterial, it is a state-controlled route managed by the Georgia Department of Transportation, built primarily to move vehicle traffic rather than protect people on foot.
Infrastructure Fixes Underway, But Not Everywhere
Local and state agencies have taken some steps to address the danger. In March, community updates reported that the Atlanta Department of Transportation was finalizing ADA-compliant sidewalks and safety curbs along South Moreland Avenue, with four new pedestrian crosswalks equipped with Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon flashing signals under construction between I-20 and United Avenue, according to The Porch Press.
The state has also been weighing broader changes. In September 2025, the Georgia Department of Transportation told Atlanta's Fatal Crash Commission it was considering lowering speed limits along the Moreland Avenue corridor to 30 mph and installing physical barriers to protect pedestrians, following a string of high-profile fatal crashes, per 11Alive. Separately, the state is building a safety project at Moreland Avenue and Arkwright Place that includes a median barrier and a dedicated signalized pedestrian crossing, connecting neighborhood trails between Edgewood and Reynoldstown, according to Urbanize Atlanta.
The Legal Line Between Pedestrians and Drivers
Georgia law places specific obligations on both pedestrians and drivers in cases like this one. Under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-92, a pedestrian crossing outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk must yield the right-of-way to vehicles on the road unless they have already entered the roadway safely, according to Justia. But that duty does not erase a driver's own legal obligation: under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-93, every driver must exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian on a roadway, regardless of whether that person is in a crosswalk, and must sound a horn when necessary, per FindLaw. Those dual duties, along with lighting conditions, speed, and roadway design, are typically central focal points in fatal crash investigations like the one now underway in DeKalb County.
Part of a Larger, Deadlier Pattern
Saturday's crash also fits into a broader and troubling statewide picture. DeKalb County recorded 45 pedestrian fatalities in 2022, placing it among the highest county totals in Georgia, according to the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety. Across five core metro Atlanta counties, including DeKalb, traffic crashes killed 425 people in 2024 alone, more than the 410 homicides recorded in the same region that year, per Propel ATL's 2025 regional report. Safety advocates have noted that traffic deaths often receive far less news coverage than homicides, despite claiming more lives.
Police have not released additional details about the vehicle or driver involved in Saturday's crash, and the investigation remains ongoing. DeKalb County police have not said whether any charges are anticipated as the case continues to develop.
