A DeKalb County mother is pleading for answers after her teenage son was struck by a driver while skating near River Road and left unconscious on the roadway, with the driver fleeing the scene without stopping to help.
DeKalb County Police Department officers have been searching for the driver responsible, according to FOX 5 Atlanta, which reported that the teen was hit while on skates and left unconscious near River Road. The station's report centers on the mother's public appeal for information as investigators work to track down the person behind the wheel.
Cases like this typically fall to DeKalb County's specialized Traffic Specialist Unit, which handles crash reconstruction and hit-and-run investigations and can be reached at 770-724-7575, according to DeKalb County, GA. The unit has previously leaned on tips from the public to crack similar cases, including a February 2026 hit-and-run investigation on I-85 Northbound near Chamblee Tucker Road, where a 24-year-old stranded motorist was struck by multiple fleeing vehicles, as reported by CBS News.
What Georgia Law Says About Leaving an Unconscious Victim
Georgia law draws a sharp line between fender-benders and cases where someone is badly hurt. Leaving the scene of a crash that causes serious bodily injury or death is classified as a felony carrying state prison penalties, while leaving a crash involving only property damage is charged as a misdemeanor, per the Hines Law Firm.
The state's hit-and-run statute, O.C.G.A. § 40-6-270, also spells out what a driver is required to do when someone is hurt: stop immediately, render reasonable assistance, and contact emergency medical services if the injured victim is unconscious or unable to communicate, according to Justia Law. Whether that duty was met in this case remains part of what investigators are working to determine.
A Pattern of Danger for Non-Motorists on DeKalb Roads
This is not the first severe collision involving a non-motorist in DeKalb County this month. Hoodline previously reported that a young adult pedestrian was struck and killed near North Druid Hills Road and LaVista Road earlier in September, also triggering a county police crash investigation.
The danger facing pedestrians, skaters, and other non-motorists on Georgia roads has been worsening for years. Georgia Department of Transportation data shows non-motorists accounted for 20 percent of all traffic fatalities statewide in 2023, with pedestrian deaths surging 90 percent between 2014 and 2023. The same data indicates that 257 pedestrians were killed on Georgia roadways in 2025, with 84 percent of those fatalities occurring during overnight hours and 95 percent happening outside designated crosswalks.
Nationally, the picture has improved only modestly. The Governors Highway Safety Association's preliminary projections estimated 6,732 pedestrian traffic fatalities in 2025, a 7 percent decline from 2024, though the figure remains above pre-pandemic benchmarks. Researchers have also pointed to the growing size of passenger vehicles as a factor, with a 2024 U.S. Government Accountability Office report noting that larger vehicles and reduced forward visibility contribute significantly to severe injuries among vulnerable road users, according to Virguez Law.
For now, the teen's mother is left waiting for word on who hit her son and drove away. Anyone with information is asked to contact the DeKalb County Police Department's Traffic Specialist Unit.
